Sensory Magic- A Sister for Natsu
by SnappycowMcSkittles
Summary: On their way to a job, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy find themselves faced with a girl (OC) that claims to be Natsu's sister! They find that she uses a unique sort of magic the no one thought was even possible. What will be different with this new member of Fairy tail? What adventures might they go on? Nalu and a little Gruvia. Reviews Appreciated! Rated T for violence and mild swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **The fairy tail franchise is owned by Hiro Mashima. I own none of the characters in the fanfiction. (This is my first fanfiction so if it sucks, I'm sorry. Feedback is greatly appreciated.)

**Chapter 1- Lucy's Perspective**

"C'mon, Lucy! We got to go! We're gonna be late!"

Natsu dragged Lucy out of the Guild hall and onto the streets of Magnolia with Happy trailing close behind.

"Aw, Natsu! I already said I didn't want to go on this job. I already paid my rent and I want to relax for once."

Natsu looked at Lucy with a mocking smile. "But it's a perfect job! Besides, I need money for food. Lets go!"

_I guess I don't really have a choice in this, do I, _Lucy thought.

Reluctantly, Lucy followed Natsu to the train station. She wondered why Natsu was so excited to go on the job. Surely he knew that he had to ride a train, and any moving vehicle disagreed with him.

For a while, Natsu and Lucy silently walked to the train station. _It's nice that Natsu isn't talking. Sometimes a little quiet is all you need to get into a better mood, _Lucy thought.

Suddenly, Natsu stopped in his tracks, causing Happy to bump into him.

"What is it, Natsu? Is something wrong?" Happy asked worriedly.

For a minute, Natsu stood there silently sniffing the air. A puzzled look came across his face. "But, how?" He whispered. "I'm standing right here? How can I be smelling myself somewhere else?"

"Excuse me? Have you finally lost it, Natsu?" Lucy stared at him like she was staring at a crazy person, which she might have been for all she knew.

"I swear! I smell someone that smells exactly like me! But it's not me because I'm right here! I have to go find it."

With that said, Natsu took off in the direction his hound- like nose lead him. Lucy and Happy looked at each other, shrugged, and ran after him. They almost lost Natsu a few times, but Happy's nose worked well enough to lead them back to Natsu. After a good five minutes of running, Lucy and happy finally caught up with Natsu. They found him at the intersection of four streets, frantically smelling around.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" Natsu hollered. "They should be right here!" Natsu began to run again.

"Natsu better find this person soon. I'm getting tired!" Lucy groaned.

Not moments after Natsu took off again, a girl ran right into him at full speed from the road to his left. They head-butted, making both of them fall over. Natsu instantly stood back up, rubbing his head where a bump was beginning to form.

"Why don't you watch where you're going!" Natsu yelled at the girl.

The girl stood up next to him, apparently uninjured and unfazed by the collision. She looked to be about 14, but she could have been much older. She had one of those faces that makes it hard to tell her exact age. Her bright pink hair was the exact same shade as Natsu's and was pulled up in a ponytail. She wore a simple t-shirt and shorts with battered running shoes. She glared at Natsu with a look on her face that would scare even the bravest of soldiers.

"I could ask you the same question, bub! I'm already in a bad mood, and now this is officially the worst day ever!

Natsu seemed surprised that the girl stood up to him like that, but the look of surprise quickly melted into anger. "You were the one who ran into me!" he yelled back. A brilliant ball of flame erupted into his right hand, as though he was prepared to fight this girl.

Natsu and the girl had their foreheads pressed together, both with enraged expressions. Suddenly, Natsu's face turned from anger back to surprise. He backed a few inches away from the stranger. His nose started moving up and down the air around the girl's body.

"Hey, let me ask you a question. Why is it that you smell like me?" He inquired.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled. "You don't just ask people why they smell!"

"What?" The girl questioned. "What do you mean I smell like you?"

At that moment, she noticed the fire that was ignited in Natsu's hand. Tears sprung into the girl's eyes as she stared at it.

She looked up into Natsu's eyes and asked, "Are you the one they call Natsu Dragneel? The legendary Fire Dragon Slayer of the Fairy Tail guild?"

"Yes" Natsu said with a puzzled look on his face, "but why are you crying?"

Out of nowhere, the girl got up and gave Natsu a great big hug, as if he was a friend she hadn't seen in a very long time.

"I've finally found you!" She cried with joy. "I've been looking for you for years, big brother."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Natsu's Perspective**

Nothing was making sense to him. First, he smells a person that smells exactly like him, then he bumps into a strange teenage girl that says he's her brother.

Natsu pulled away from the embrace of the stranger.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you just call me? Did you just say I was your 'big brother?'"

The girl looked up at Natsu with warm kind eyes. "That's right."

"I don't have a little sister. The only family I've ever known was Igneel, and he was like a father to me."

She looked over at Lucy, and then back at Natsu, giving him a mischievous grin. Natsu had a feeling she knew something that he didn't, and he didn't like it.

"How am I supposed to know you aren't trying to pull my leg, here? I've never heard that I had a little sister before, so why should I believe I have one, now?"

Lucy spoke up before the girl could answer. "Hello! I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think that, if she's telling the truth here, that we should actually get to know her name and introduce ourselves before we get too carried away. My name is Lucy, and this is Natsu's flying cat, Happy!"

The girl smiled at Lucy. "It's nice to meet you, miss Lucy, and you too, Happy." She looked back at Natsu. Her intense stare seemed to be looking into the depths of his soul. "My name is Nyx, and I have come to find you, Natsu."

"Would you mind explaining what's going on? My brain hurts." Natsu said impatiently. In reality, Natsu secretly hoped that this girl was his little sister and that she was telling the truth. He had always wanted to know if he had any other real family out there besides Ignial. He wanted to know where he came from.

"Would you mind if I tell you on the way back to your guild hall? I was kind of hoping that I would finally get some real food here in Magnolia. I haven't eaten anything other than nuts and berries for a good week. I apologies if I am being any trouble." Nyx still had tears of joy in her eyes.

Natsu looked over at Lucy and saw that she had tears in her eyes as well. _Why is she crying? This whole thing really has nothing to do with her._

Nyx smiled at Natsu as if she knew what he was thinking.

"No," Natsu stated, "you're not being any trouble at all. How bout we go get you some food at the guild hall. We're pretty close to it, but we still have time for you to do some explaining. I still don't completely believe you."

"Yea, I'm kind of confused as well, but it's touching to see that someone spent years just looking for you." Lucy confessed.

Natsu, Lucy, Nyx, and Happy headed back to the guild hall. Along the way, Nyx explained everything she could.

"For as long as I can remember, I was raised by an elderly couple, who were named Mary and Frank, who knew our parents. They didn't know them well. Heck, they didn't even know their names, but our parents trusted them enough to take care of us if anything ever happened. Well, something did happen. A demon named Deliora destroyed our village, killing mom and dad. Mary and Frank escaped with you and me before we could get killed as well. Mary told me that I was only one month old, and you were a little less than three when this tragedy came to be…"

Natsu cut Nyx off to ask a question. "Wait, you said that the couple who raised you WERE named May and Frank. Did something happen to them?"

"Yes," Nyx responded. "Frank had a heart attack when I was only three, and Mary died of an illness four years ago. As I was saying, when mom and dad died, Mary and Frank took us in. You probably don't remember them because you were so young. Anyway, only a month after living with them, a brutal storm hit. I was told that you were playing outside at the time. You were caught in the storm, powerless to save yourself. After the storm ended they looked everywhere for you, but you were nowhere to be found. They would have gone after you in the storm, but I was told that the wind was so strong, they couldn't get the door opened. After weeks and weeks of searching for you without a trace, they had given up hope of ever finding you. You were so little they didn't think you could survive on your own in the wild.

"After three years, the pain of your loss still troubled Frank terribly. He died of a heart attack in his sleep while having a night terror. According to Mary, his last words were, 'No, Natsu! Come back to us!'"

A solemn look appeared across Natsu's face. He didn't say a word. He wasn't sure how he felt about this news.

After a few seconds, Nyx continued her story. "It wasn't until four years after Frank died that we heard word of a young Dragon Slayer that joined the famous guild, Fairy Tail. We heard that the boy had bright pink hair and was known as Natsu Dragneel. Mary secretly hoped that this young, new wizard was you. We never found out, though. Another three years later, Mary had fallen ill. It was a sickness of the mind, one that couldn't be cured no matter what I tried or who I went to for help. Soon after, she died of brain failure. Ever sense then, I have searched for this guild in hopes that I could find you."

Natsu couldn't believe what he was hearing! He had a feeling that this girl was telling the truth. He had a good sense of when someone was lying or not. It made sense, after all, why he never remembered any sort of parents. He joined Fairy tail at about 10 years of age, right after he went looking for Ignial. He could hardly wrap his mind around it. _After all this time, I find out that I have a sister!_

But, Nyx wasn't through with her story. "You're probably wondering why it took me so long to find you. I was alone in the wilderness with nowhere to start. I had no idea where Magnolia was located. All I had ever known was the little cabin that I lived in all my life.

"I was told stories about the wonders of magic and the amazing things that wizards could do, but Mary would not allow me to practice it. I knew that, deep within me, I would one day become a great wizard. When Mary died, it was heartbreaking. I didn't know what I would do, but there was one good thing that came out of it. I could finally start practicing to become a wizard.

"There was one small problem, though. I had no one to teach me, and no way of making money to pay someone to tutor me. I asked around, but no one would teach an orphaned child with no money or experience. With no master and nowhere to start, I had no other choice if I wanted to become a wizard. I would have to learn it all by myself.

That statement shocked Natsu, and by the looks of it, surprised Happy and Lucy to. Lucy spoke the question that Natsu was about to ask. "You were only a kid and you were teaching yourself magic? What kind of magic could you possibly learn all by yourself?"

This brought a smile to Nyx's face. "I didn't know what it was at first, but the anger I felt toward the people that wouldn't help me, and the sadness I felt at being all alone made me realize that I had no control over the events in this world. From there, I used these emotions to fuel my drive to become a wizard. This act gave me a brilliant idea- I would create a new kind of magic. A magic that only I would be able to use. After a good year of no results, I was about to give up. Something inside of me awoke one day, though. I was suddenly able to sense the emotions of the people and animals around me. I didn't know what this was at first, but I soon came to call Sensory magic. I worked hard to master every little aspect of my new magic. I was soon able to sharpen all of my senses accept for my sense of smell and taste. It took me over two years to finally master this magic. I was never really one for fighting, so I didn't bother learning attacks and defenses. Although, I did work on my speed and endurance, which, I don't mean to brag, is pretty phenomenal. Other than that, my mind was all that I needed. Over the years, I soon came to unlock a power that not even I knew was possible. I…"

Nyx stopped as if the next sentence was her for her to say. "Well, tell us already. I don't like being kept in the dark, here!" Happy shouted

Nyx had a nervous look on her face. He noticed just then how much she looked like him. She had his eyes and his unruly pink hair, as well as a aura of confidence that he saw in himself. She stared at him for a moment, and just before he was about to ask what was wrong, Nyx said, "How about I show you rather than explain it."

A sense of excitement came across Natsu. "That sounds like a great idea!" he yelled. "Okay, but I must warn you, it will have been like nothing you have seen before."

Nyx gazed straight into Natsu's eyes with sympathy. Then, the look of sympathy turned into a look of confidence. She stared into his eyes, and he was not able to look away. For some odd reason, he felt exposed, as if nothing about him was a secret. Nyx's expression turned hard and, out of nowhere, a wave of pure fear unlike any he had ever felt before swept across Natsu's body. His limbs were frozen in place as he stared into Nyx's eyes, unable to look away. It was like his mind and body had betrayed him. The sensation grew to where the only thing that Natsu could think of was the fear the swelled through his body, the shear terror that was pulsing through his veins. Natsu fell to his knees, hopelessly fighting for control of his limbs. The whole world disappeared around him, for the only thing that existed was the fear he was experiencing.

_What is happening to me? Why do I feel so afraid all of a sudden? I can't stop shaking! It's like nothing I have ever felt before! Is this what terror feels like?_

This whole ordeal only lasted seconds, but it seemed like eternity for Natsu. Finally, the fear subsided, but now he worried at what might have caused it. Suddenly, he remembered that he was with Lucy, Happy, and his so-called sister Nyx. Natsu stood up, wary that the sudden burst of fear would come back, but it didn't.

Lucy and Happy ran to his side with worried looks on their faces.

"What happened, Natsu?!" Happy questioned.

"Yea, what happened? You looked like you had seen a ghost , and then you fell to the ground! You were shaking and sweating and you looked like you were in pain!" Lucy cried.

"I… I have no idea. I felt so afraid all of a sudden. My entire body was consumed by pure fear."

Nyx gave a sad smile to Natsu, then said feebly, "That is the magic that I was telling you I possessed. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that! I should have just told you! Please, forgive me! I only wanted to demonstrate to you what I could do. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me if I explained it."

Tears welled up inside of Nyx's eyes. Suddenly, Natsu could feel tears in his eyes, too. He looked over at Lucy and Happy and saw that they were also crying.

No one spoke a word. Thirty seconds passed before Nyx looked up again. Natsu forgot all about her and concentrated on the strange guilt and sadness that had mysteriously appeared. All of a sudden, the guilt stopped and Natsu felt just fine. He looked at Nyx, flustered at what just went down.

"I should have told you before I demonstrated." Nyx said with sympathy. "Sensory magic is a magic that I made up. It is a magic that not only lets me sense people's emotions, but also lets me control them."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **In case you are wondering, this story takes place directly after the Fantasia Parade

**Chapter 3- Natsu's Perspective**

_What did she just say? She can CONTROL a person's emotions?_

Natsu was more confused than he had been in a while.

"I'm sorry for doing that to you, Natsu, but I needed to show you." Nyx said with sorrow. She looked like she needed a hug. Then, Natsu remembered that he, Lucy, and happy randomly started crying when Nyx started crying.

"Hey, it's okay, Nyx. I forgive you. There is one thing I have to ask you though. How is it that, when you started crying just now, you made all of us cry? Did you do that on purpose?"

Nyx shook her head. "No, I didn't. I've noticed before that if my emotions start to get out of hand and I don't control my powers, other people near me start to feel the same things I do. I sometimes truly cannot control it. I guess that's what I get for making up my own type of magic…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around at Magnolia. Her eyes rested on a bakery to the left of them. The smell that emanated from it was too much to ignore. Natsu could hear her stomach grumble.

"Hey, how about, after we visit the guild hall, we go get you a piece of cake. Does that sound nice?" Natsu asked his little sister.

"Yea!" Lucy agreed. "We could also give you a tour around Magnolia! It's a wonderful town. There's a lot to go see and do."

Nyx's face instantly brightened. "That sounds wonderful! But, it wont be any trouble for you guys, will it? I don't have any money, and I wouldn't want you guys to have to pay for me."

Natsu made a sarcastically-offended face. "Trouble? It will be no trouble at all! If you are in fact my little sister, that means we're family. Family has to look out for each other and take care of one another, right?"

Nyx grinned with more joy than anyone else Natsu had ever seen. He had decided to believe what Nyx had said, and that she was actually his sister. Even if it wasn't true, Natsu felt responsible for this girl. He didn't exactly know why. _Maybe I'm already thinking like a big brother would. Dang. I wonder if this is how Elfman feels about Mirajane._

The four of them walked to the guild hall in silence, pondering what had just occurred. It only took a few minutes to reach it.

"Are you ready to meet the guild members?" Lucy asked Nyx. Nyx nodded with excitement. "I better warn you, they're a rowdy bunch of folk. Don't be offended if some of them disapprove of you at first; they'll warm up to ya."

Natsu pushed his hand gently on the door, and then shoved it open as hard as he could. "HEY EVERYBODY! I HAVE SOMEONE THAT I WANT YOU TO MEET!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Every head in the hall turned to look at Natsu, and then quickly turned their attention on Nyx.

A shirtless boy with dark hair was the first to speak up. "Hey, Natsu. You're back early. I thought you just left on a job. Who's the kid? You baby-sittin' or something? She kinda looks like you."

Natsu gave the boy a huge grin. "No, I'm not baby-sitting. This little one is Nyx"

Nyx glared at Natsu. "I wouldn't call 15-years-old little.

"Whatever" Natsu said. "This is Nyx, and she is my little sister!"

This brought a few different reactions to the guild. Some people were so surprised that they spit out their drinks. Some people looked like they couldn't care less. Others were smiling like they didn't believe what Natsu was saying. The shirtless boy looked surprised at this news.

"You never told us you had a little sister, Natsu." Said a girl wearing armor. She walked over to where Nyx was standing, but before she got their, Happy quickly whispered into Nyx's ear, "Be careful. That girl right there is Erza. Make sure you don't make her angry, or you'll be in big trouble. Natsu got his butt kicked from her a couple of times because he made her mad."

Nyx laughed. "Okay, thanks for telling me."

Erza came up to Nyx and shook her hand. "Hello, Nyx. My name is Erza Scarlet. Natsu didn't tell us that he had a little sister. Are you two very close?"

Natsu looked at Erza and said, "No, we just met today. Pretty cool, huh? I had a sister all this time and I never even knew."

"Aye," Happy said.

The shirtless boy walked up to Natsu and punched him in the face. Natsu flew across the room and landed on a table, snapping it in half.

"You mean to tell me that you actually have a sibling? I think you're lying and trying to pull a prank or something. You mind explaining?

Natsu stood up, wiping his mouth. "You gotta lot of nerve, Gray. Are you callin me a liar? C'mere so I can beat that grin off you face!" Natsu charged at Gray with a handful of fire, which Gray blocked with a wall of ice.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Nyx asked.

"Oh, this happens all the time here," Lucy said exasperatedly. "In a few seconds, an all out guild-fight is probably going to happen."

Sure enough, Natsu dodged one of Gray's ice attacks, and the ice hit a large man with spiky white hair. "A real man would try to not hit other people while fightin!" He said. With that, the man sprung from his chair, knocking over everything at his table, which included two other people. Soon enough, an all out guild-fight was taking place. Natsu was still fighting Gray and forgot all about his new little sister. Finally, someone accidentally hit Erza in the back with a beer mug.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She howled.

Every guild member stopped in their tracks, looking at Erza with terrified expressions. They all stopped fighting and went on to their daily business like it was nothing. Natsu was especially afraid, and by the looks of it, so was Gray. When Erza got up and approached them, they put their arms around each other like they've been best friends for eternity. "Hey buddy," Gray said. "I'm sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Aye, sir," Natsu said back. He looked over at his little sister to see her laughing so hard, tears were coming out of her eyes. Natsu instantly for mad at Erza for the first impression he had made, but he was too scared of her to say anything.

"Well, it's nice to see you boys getting along. Now, would you mind introducing Gray to your sister, Natsu?"

Natsu sighed with relief. "Sure thing. I was gonna do that anyway, but then Gray hit me in the face."

Natsu, Erza, and Gray all walked over To where Lucy, Happy, and Nyx were still standing. Nyx continued to laugh hysterically. Finally, after her laughter calmed down, Gray said to Nyx, "Whatcha laughing at? I don't see anything that funny here. You better watch it, kid."

"Sorry," Nyx said, sill giggling. She was clearly not sorry for laughing.

Erza glared at Gray. "I would find it funny, too, if I were in her position. Her new-found Dragon Slayer brother and an ice wizard in a fight, and then they stop fighting because they're scared of some girl, and start acting like best buddies because they're so scared of what she'll do to them."

Natsu growled at Erza, but feebly apologized as soon as she gave him an angry stare.

"I'm sorry for their behavior. They aren't the most civilized people on the planet." Erza told Nyx.

"Aye, Erza" Happy laughed.

"WHO ENTERS MY GUILD!" A booming voice resonated through the guild hall, startling everybody accept Erza, Gray, and Natsu.

Gray smiled. "There he is. I wondered when the master would show up."

A huge silhouette appeared at the back of the guild hall. It approached the group slowly.

"That's the master?!" Nyx asked, worriedly.

"Yea, that's master Makarov. Don't worry, he's not actually that scary. He just likes to make an entrance" Lucy told her.

The huge silhouette shrunk down to a tiny figure no more than four feet tall. The figure came out of the shadows, reveling a small old man that had to be over the age of 80.

"Who might this young one be? Natsu, did you bring her to the guild?"

Natsu grinned. "I sure did, gramps. This here is Nyx. I just learned today that she is my long lost little sister!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Nyx's Perspective**

_This guild is nuts! Not even five minutes after arriving, a fight broke out! I think I'm going to like it here._

The old man was apparently the master of this crazy place. He was so short that Nyx would have thought he was a child if her didn't look so old. As soon as Natsu introduced her as his sister, the old man looked shocked.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Natsu. Why didn't you tell me before?"

Natsu grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. He said, "I honestly didn't know until I ran into her; I mean I literally ran right into her at full speed. I didn't believe that she was my sister either until she explained everything. Crazy, right?"

The master growled for a moment before addressing Nyx. "Hello, Nyx. I am Master Makarov. You say you are Natsu's sister?" Nyx nodded her head. "Well then, I think this is cause for a celebration!" He turned to the whole guild and shouted at the top of his lungs, "It's time to welcome Natsu's long lost sister! Eat, drink, and be merry, for it is a time of happiness and rejoice!"

The whole guild hall exploded into a mess of booze, cake, and merriment within a matter of seconds. It was like the place was prepared for a party at every moment.

The master turned to Nyx and asked a question that she didn't expect. "We are happy to have you with us, Nyx. Do you by any chance want to join the Fairy Tail guild? Of coarse, you have to be a wizard in order to join a wizards guild. Are you by any chance a wizard?"

Nyx looked at the master with grateful eyes. "Yes, I am a wizard. I would love to join the Fairy Tail guild! Oh, you have no idea how much this means to me! Thank you so much! I'll make you proud!"

"I'm sure you will, young one. Now, would you care explaining to me how you found Natsu and why you were looking for him in the first place?"

"Sure. I already told everything to Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. Where would be a good place to discuss this. I don't want to be caught in the middle of something or getting hit by a airborne piece of cake."

Master Makarov motioned for her to come sit down at the bar. The only other person seated there was a woman wearing only a blue bra and long red shorts, guzzling down liquor by the gallon. Nyx noticed that Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Happy all accompanied her and the master to the bar. They most likely wanted to hear the story, too. Nyx was aware that Natsu was grinning from ear to ear the entire time they had arrived at the guild hall.

"So," Gray said lazily, "where'd you come from?"

Nyx proceeded to explain everything she had told Natsu, Lucy, and happy. She told them about Mary and Frank, Losing Natsu in the storm, and what happened after Mary and Frank died. When she mentioned how she lost her parents, Gray looked at her with empathy. She felt that he also lost someone to the demon Deliora as well. Her powers allowed her to tell how someone was feeling, and sometimes she could see the specific thing that the person was thinking about. She could tell that he was thinking about the night that Deliora destroyed his home and his family. She felt the pain and the sadness that he felt on that night. Sometimes, she didn't like that her powers let her feel other's emotions without her trying to. It felt wrong in a way, invading peoples thoughts and feelings on accident.

Nyx deliberately left out what kind of magic she used, but she did say that she practiced magic in the four years she spent on her quest to find her brother. Makarov and the others didn't say a word until she finished her story. Erza was first to speak up.

"What kind of magic do you use? I can't imagine which magic you learned without a master. It must have been hard and taken a long time."

Nyx didn't want to answer this question. She almost felt ashamed of the magic she used. She was proud of the fact that she made it up, but she was not as proud of the fact that she could make people feel a certain way whenever she felt like it. She didn't mind having his power when it came to self defense or for survival, but when it was all said and done, she thought her magic was scary. When she demonstrated her power to Natsu, the look of fear on his face was more than she could take. She didn't realize how much she was effecting his sense of fear. Usually, emotions that people felt often were the ones that Nyx had trouble changing. _Natsu must be fearless, then. I used almost no power at all and I made him so afraid. I can never forgive myself for putting him through that. I'm glad he doesn't hate me for it._

"Hey, Nyx. Are you gonna tell them? Or am I gonna have to tell them for ya?" Natsu said impatiently.

He woke Nyx up from her train of thought. "Oh, sorry, I must have dazed off there," she apologized. "In the four years that I spent looking for Natsu, I had trouble with using magic. I tried every possible kind I could think of, but I just couldn't seem to use any. Finally, one day, something awoke inside of me. It was like I was a blind person seeing color for the first time. I had found out that, by trying to practice all different sorts of magic, I was actually creating my own kind of magic. A kind of magic that was used only by me because I had created it."

This statement shocked all of them accept Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, but that was only because they already knew. The master was especially shocked, but he seemed more impressed than anything else. Erza was impressed as well. Nyx knew that Erza was thinking that her herself would not have been able to pull something like that off. Nyx really didn't know what Gray was thinking other than that he was dumfounded.

"My word. You mean to tell me that you created your own type of magic? In all my years, I've never heard of someone that had accomplished such a feat, especially someone as young as yourself. What do you call your magic, and would you mind demonstrating it?"

Nyx considered leaving it a secret, but then decided that if these were going to be her new friends, then she might as well tell them.

"Alright, I'll tell you, bout you have to promise that you won't dislike me for the powers I possess. Natsu knows first-hand what I mean. Instead of blatantly telling you what I can do, I kinda want to show you guys while fighting. Over the years, I find that I do my best while under pressure, and I've been in plenty of street fights."

Makarov nodded his head in agreement. Gray was the next to speak. "I'll fight her. I want to see what Natsu's little sister can do. I want to know first hand what her powers are before she tells everyone. This'll be fun."

Natsu laughed at his statement. "She already showed me what she can do, and its pretty freaky. I would be careful, Gray. I think that she's more powerful than you."

That made Gray angry. "Oh yea? We'll wee about that."

Nyx was glad that Erza didn't volunteer. She didn't want to know what she could do, but because Gray and Natsu were so scared of her, she rather find out later.

"Alright, Gray, ill fight you." Nyx said casually. She suddenly really into the chance to fight one of Natsu's friends. She decided to scare Gray a bit by using her powers to find out information about him. Another thing that her sensory magic allowed her to do was look at the memories that people have, and that included information about who they are.

Nyx started off by ranting information off about him to everyone else. She looked at him silently for a moment, gaining all of the information she needed. As soon as the info came to her, she started reciting it in rapid succession. "Gray Fullbuster, ice mage and member of Fairy Tail. Has a stripping habit he get from training with his master, Ur and old training partner, Leone. Home and family destroyed by the demon Deliora when he was just a child. Mostly laid-back personality, but can be very serious when the time comes. Uses maker magic. Secretly has a crush on…" Nyx decided to stop there before she said anything too personal about him.

Gray seemed startled that she knew so much about him. He immediately turned to Natsu and said furiously, "Did you tell her about me? That's not cool, man." Natsu looked just about as shocked as Gray was. "I didn't tell her anything. I have no idea how she knew all of that. Wow, I didn't know that she could do that, too."

Gray looked at Nyx with uncertainty, but Nyx shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Nyx could tell that the thing that disturbed him most was that she was about to say who he liked. Nyx could see that about everyone, so it wasn't that big of a deal to her. She hadn't even met the person that he had a crush on, but she knew everything about her based off of what Gray knew.

Master Makarov and Erza looked like they couldn't care less, but they actually wondered how she knew what she did.

"Well," Natsu said, "Lets get this fight stared! I wanna see what my baby sister can do!"

Nyx punched him in the gut for calling her a baby, which sent him flying across the hall and onto the ground. Everyone laughed and looked at Nyx with newfound respect. Not many people could land a hit on Natsu because he was so skilled in fighting.

"Nice one," Erza laughed. "It's nice to see another girl in the guild who won't take crap from Natsu. I think we'll get along just fine."

Nyx gave Erza a cheesy grin. "Thanks! Okay, lets fight, Gray."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Gray's Perspective**

_This kid is freaky. She's Natsu's little sister. I get that part. What I don't know is how she knew all that stuff about me. I've never told anyone about who I liked. How could she possibly know? She might be bluffing to catch me off guard, but I have a feeling she's not. I'm so confused._

Gray and Natsu's sister were preparing to fight. They decided to take the fight outside in case things got out of hand. The whole guild was going to watch them, so Gray had to win in order to avoid getting poked fun of later. _This'll be easy. She may be Natsu's little sister, but she's still just a kid. Granted, I'm not that much older than her, but I'm much more experienced. _

Everyone was present. The guild hall was a good distance away to make sure nothing got broke. The guild members circled around the two of them, eagerly waiting for one of them to make the first move.

"Go, Nyx! I'm rootin' for ya!" Natsu yelled from the sidelines.

"Shut up, Natsu. She's got no chance against me. I've been fighting way longer than she has."

Natsu smiled like he knew something Gray didn't, and Gray hated him for it.

Gray turned his attention back to Nyx. "Alright, girly. I'm gonna take it easy on you because I'm a nice person. I don't want you getting injured on your first day at the guild."

Nyx laughed. "I think you're just scared that you're gonna lose. You're trying to get an excuse already in for when I kick your butt." This enraged Gray. "Okay, I won't hold back, then. I'll warn you though, if you get hurt, that's on you. You ready?"

"I was ready before we started. This fight is as good as over," Nyx taunted. She turned around like she didn't even care what Gray did. If she had a plan to make him mad, it was working. Gray was furious that a little girl was trash talking him like that. Gray went at the girl with an Ice-Make Lance while her back was turned. It was a cheap move, but he was determined to win more than ever before.

Gray was sure he had the fight in the bag, but moments before the lance hit Nyx, she jumped high in the air and dodged the attack like it was nothing.

"Whoa," Gray heard someone say. "She dodged the attack and she wasn't even looking! Did she know it was coming or something?"

Gray was only a little surprised at Nyx's actions. He was too focused on winning to care much more. He went at her with everything he had.

"Ice-Make, Floor!" He hollered. Instantly, the grass at their feet was replaced with a thick layer of ice. He was certain that Nyx would slip, giving Gray a chance to strike.

What he didn't expect was that the icy floor would actually help her.

Nyx kicked off her worn out sneakers and was left just in socks. She started sliding on the ice with swan-like grace, like she had done it all her life. The girl raced towards him with lightning fast speed. She was more agile than he had anticipated. Gray could hear cheers from the crowd as Nyx advanced on him. He could tell that she was using some kind of magic, but he couldn't tell what, yet. He heard Natsu yell at the top of his lungs, "YEA! GO NYX! KICK HIS BUTT!"

That just made Gray's determination to win even stronger. Nyx was almost close enough to strike at him with her fists. Gray was prepared to block and dodge any attacks she might throw at him.

Again, Nyx did what Gray least expected her to do.

Instead of charging at him at full speed, Nyx turned sharply to the right, completely avoiding Gray, throwing him out of his concentration. Although it was only mere moments before he regained his composure, that was all the time Nyx needed to get out of his field of vision. Gray spun around, prepared to be attacked, but he wasn't. What he found was Nyx standing completely still, staring right into his eyes.

For some reason, Gray could not seem to break eye contact with this girl. He was vaguely aware of his guild mates cheering on the fight. A second later, Gray felt strangely drained of energy. He wasn't drained of magic energy; he had barely used any. No, he felt like his brain was tired, like he spent a week doing nothing but doing math problems. He suddenly had no desire to think about anything or anyone. He couldn't concentrate on any one thing. He almost forgot about the fight entirely until he felt himself get socked in the face and fall flat on his back.

Some of the guild cheered, others gasped, and the rest just stayed silent. Natsu was the loudest of them all, cheering and whooping at his sister for landing a direct hit to the cheek.

Gray stood up, wiped himself off, and took a fighting stance. He no longer cared about what the guild thought. All he wanted was to win.

But it seemed that Nyx had other plans. She smiled a wicked grin and said to Gray, "I thought you weren't going to take it easy on me? You practically just _let_ me deck you just then."

She didn't let him respond. Again, she slid across the icy floor with amazing speed directly at Gray. He had a brilliant idea. He used his magic to make the floor disappear beneath them, but Nyx seemed to be prepared for just that. Without hesitation, she switched from sliding to running the moment the grass was no longer slippery. Even without sliding, she was still incredibly fast. Gray didn't let that stop him, though.

"Ice Make, Cage!" He yelled. In a matter of seconds, a huge cage of ice appeared out of nowhere, trapping Nyx inside. She didn't look fazed, though. In fact, she looked as though he had done exactly what she wanted. She started climbing up the inside of the cage to a point near the top where there was an opening big enough for her to fit through. She slipped through it with ease and swung herself on top on the cage.

_How did she climb it so fast? It should be too slippery for her to get a good grip on it! Now she has the higher ground. I better not get caught off guard again._

Nyx stood on top of the cage with confidence. She was winning the fight and she had only hit him once. Nyx showed no sign of jumping off or climbing down. She just stood up there, looking down at him like he was sure to lose.

"You get back down here, you coward!" Gray taunted.

"Why should I? the view from up here is amazing!. I can see the guild hall from here!" She said. "Fine," Gray mused. "I guess I'll have to make you come down."

With that, he shattered the ice cage using his magic. At the last moment, Nyx used the cage as a springboard to catapult herself over Gray's head and onto the ground. She stuck the landing perfectly.

"Ice Make, Hammer!" Gray hollered. A huge frozen hammer appeared in his hands. He swung the hammer down with all his might, hoping to land a hit, but was sorely disappointed. Nyx dodged the falling hammer just in the nick of time. She used the hammer to her advantage by climbing on top of it and jumping behind Gray. He turned around, but was just a millisecond too slow. He felt a hard jab on the nape of his neck, and then saw nothing but darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- Erza's Perspective**

_That's amazing! She knocked him out cold with a jab to the neck! She must know the human body better than anyone. I wonder what other kinds of pressure points she knows about._

Erza didn't know what to make of the kid at first, but not just anyone could beat Gray in a fight so easily. Not even Natsu could have taken him down so quickly. She used no visible magic as far as Erza could tell, but she knew that she had some kind of magic working in her favor. Erza couldn't wait to know what kind of magic that Nix used.

Erza still couldn't believe that a child had beaten Gray like that. It's like everything Gray used worked in her favor in some way or another. What she still didn't understand was how Nyx knew all of that information about him. She started ranting it off like she was reading from an encyclopedia. Something that Nyx had said at the very end was what caught Erza's attention the most. Anyone could have known all of the other stuff about him if they did the research, but Nyx was about to tell the whole guild who Gray was interested in. On the outside, Erza could care less about the love lives of her friends, but in reality she would give her eye teeth to know such things. She tried her hardest not to make it her business, but she couldn't help but want to know.

Gray was carried off the fight scene by Natsu, who was more than happy drag him around to further emphasize that his sister was the one who knocked him unconscious. "He'll probably have a headache when he wakes up, and I know I get cranky when I have a headache. I also know a few pressure points that'll shock him into consciousness whenever you want him to wake up. Should I do it now, or when we get back to the guild.?"

Erza was yet again impressed by the skills this kid possessed. "I think that we should wait until we get back. That way he will feel more at home when we tell him he got his ass kicked."

Everyone laughed. Nyx didn't seem troubled at all by the fact that she probably just created a rivalry Gray that was just as bad as the one that her brother had with him. Natsu seemed pretty happy that his new-found sister was such a fighter. Erza knew that he would probably want to fight her next to prove that he was better than Gray

There was one part of the fight that troubled Erza, though. Just before Gray made the ice cage, something happened that left him wide open. It was like he didn't even try to defend himself. He might have been giving her a free hit to boost her confidence, but Erza knew better than to think that. Gray was not the kind to let any opponent get a hit in if he could help it.

"So, Nyx," Erza said, "I saw that you were using magic, but I still can't tell what kind. You don't use any kind of attack magic, or else we would have seen you use it against Gary. My guess is that you use some kind of telepathy to mess with other people's concentration in battle. Am I correct in assuming that this is the magic you use?"

Nyx looked impressed. "You almost have it right. I'll explain everything in detail once we get back to the guild. I want Gray to be awake whenever I tell you. I don't want to have to explain everything twice. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy already know some of what I can do because I demonstrated it when I met them."

Erza nodded. She expected for there to be something else at work other than just telepathy. She was eager to get to know what magic Nyx used and how she beat Gray so easily.

Everyone walked back to the guild, discussing the fight that just took place. Most people were in a sour mood because they had placed bets against Nyx and lost. Erza wondered if anyone had bet against Gray, and sure enough, Lucy and Natsu had both put money down in favor of Nyx. Apparently, Natsu and Lucy knew from the start that Gray had no chance against her.

_I wonder what Nyx possibly could have shown the two of them that made them so confident she would win. I guess this also means that Lucy wouldn't be worrying about rent money for a good three months._

When they finally got to the guild hall, Nyx offered to wake Gray up.

"Sure," said Makarov, a proud tone in his voice. "Let him hear what kind of magic he was up against."

Nyx stood up and walked over to where Gray lay unconscious on the floor. She looked around his body and pushed down hard with two fingers on the center of Gray's chest. She held her fingers down and located a point just underneath his chin. With an expert push on that point, Gray quickly sat up and started coughing like he had inhaled water. This fit of coughing lasted 20 seconds before he could finally catch his breath.

"What happened. My head is throbbing. Is the fight over?"

Natsu grinned evilly. "Yes, its been over. My sister kicked your butt in under two minutes. You never stood a chance. How does it feel to get your backside handed to you by a little girl."

Erza chuckled at Natsu's question. She saw Nyx walk up next to Natsu and look down at Gray, who was still on the floor. "Hey, Natsu."

"Yea?"

Nyx punched him in the gut. "I told you, I'm not little. I'm 15." She said. Natsu held his stomach as he attempted to recover from the unexpected blow. "Sorry," he strained.

Gray stood up, rubbing his temples. "Did I black out or something? All I remember is Nyx jumping over my head, and then pressure on the back of my neck." Nyx was about to answer him when suddenly, A girl with blue hair and deep blue eyes ran right up next to Gray, knocking Natsu and Nyx over.

"Oh, my dearest Gray! Are you alright? I couldn't bear it if you were hurt and I were not able to help you. Please tell me you are okay!"

"I'm fine, Juvia. I just need a little space. Please stop talking so loud. You're making my headache worse."

"I'm so sorry, my darling. I'll try to make sure your headache does not get any worse!"

Nyx stared at Juvia with wonder and befuddlement. Then, she smiled as if she knew some secret information about Juvia that no one else knew. Natsu looked like he didn't even notice. Erza couldn't help but wonder why Nyx seemed to take so much interest in her. The whole guild knew that Juvia was head over heels in love with Gray, but no one really seemed to care that much.

_Okay, now I really want to know more about her. I'm tired of waiting._

"Alright, listen up!" Erza hollered. All eyes turned to her. "Nyx said that, after the battle, she would tell us what kind of magic she uses. I know for a fact that everyone here is just as curious as I am as to how she beat Gray as easily as she did. Now, if you would excuse me, I believe that we should allow Nyx the time to give an explanation."

Nyx nodded at Erza, silently thanking her. Erza smiled back. "Alright, everyone. You wanna know how I won the fight so quickly? Well, I'll tell ya, but you gotta promise me one thing. NO one here is going to interrupt me until I say you can ask questions. Am I understood?"

Dozens of yeses were heard around the hall as the guild members prepared to listen. Nyx started explaining. "I use a magic that I created during the four years of surviving on my own. I call this new magic Sensory Magic. This allows me to sense and control the emotions of the people or animals around me. Over the years, I have discovered countless different ways I could use my magic. I learned how to see one's memories and the feelings tied to those memories just by looking at them. I can see how people feel about a specific person, even if they aren't thinking about them at that moment. I even learned how to sense one's intentions and thoughts. In a way, it's like mind reading, only much more sophisticated. Any questions?"

The whole guild hall was silent. No one could think of what to say. Even Natsu and Lucy looked surprised. Erza figured that Nyx didn't tell them the full extent of what her magic could do.

Finally, Gray was the one who found the courage to ask a question. "When we were fighting, there was one point where my brain felt so dead-tired that I couldn't think straight. Was that you using your magic to control my feelings?"

Nyx looked at the ground. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to give you a small example of how I use my magic in battle."

_Now I understand. Nyx was looking into Gray's memories in order to gain all of that information about him. I guess no one can hide anything from her. It's a little scary, knowing that, to Nyx, you have no privacy. I wonder what else she knows about him, or what she knows about me and everyone else. _

Natsu was the next one to speak, but he didn't ask a question. "When I met Nyx, she demonstrated her power to me by controlling my fear. When she showed it to me, I felt unbelievable fear, like nothing I had ever felt before. I wasn't afraid of anything- I was just afraid."

Erza was proud of Natsu for admitting that he did feel fear. She knew he had built a reputation in the guild of having little to no fear. He must have really wanted people to know not to mess with his little sister.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- Lucy's Perspective **

Lucy didn't know what to think of the day's events. First, Natsu finds out he has a little sister. Next, his little sister beat Gray in a fight like it was nothing. Then she explains in further detail about her magic. Lucy knew that there was all sorts of telepathic magic out there. Heck, even some of the guild members used it. But this, this kind of power was insane. Lucy had no idea that magic existed in that form. Granted, Nyx did say that she created her magic, which was an impressive feat in its own right. But beating Gray was something else. Natsu even sometimes had trouble fighting him because, in physical strength, they were pretty evenly matched. Lucy couldn't wrap her head around it.

Moments after Nyx got through explaining, the guild went back to their usual business. Lucy expected a little more fuss about the new girl, but weird things happened at the guild all the time. She guessed that the guild members just got used to it.

However, Gray was still a little down in the dumps. People kept walking up to him and teasing him because he got his butt kicked by Natsu's little sister. Lucy was sure that it took a major toll on his pride. When people started making fun of him, Gray would just stare at the ground and pretend like they weren't here. The only person who didn't make fun of him was Juvia. Lucy was sure that he'd get Nyx back eventually, though, but Lucy wasn't sure how he would do it.

By the time everyone was back to their daily business, Nyx, Natsu, Erza, and Makarov were having a conversation. Lucy walked over to them to se what they were talking about. She caught Makarov asking Nyx, "…was very impressive. Now, what color do you want your Fairy Tail tattoo and where do you want it?"

"Um," Nyx said, "I think I want mine a dark purple. Do you have dark purple?"

"Yes, the tattoo can be in any color you want, but choose wisely. Once you have it, you can never get it off so long as you are in this guild."

"Yes, I defiantly want it dark purple. A deep, royal purple."

Makarov nodded, like he agreed that that would be a good color. "Now, where do you want it?"

"Let's see…" Nyx started, but stopped when Natsu interrupted. "Hey, how about you get one of your right shoulder, just like I do!" He offered. "Hey, yea I like that idea, Natsu." Nyx said. He smiled at her with that mischievous smile that was always painted across his face. Lucy always liked that smile. She could always count on it to cheer her up when she was feeling low.

"Alright then, lets officially make you a member of Fairy Tail." Makarov said happily. Nyx nodded back at him with a grateful smile. Mirajane came over to them with what looked like the same stamp she used to put Lucy's Fairy Tail tattoo on her hand. Mira pressed it up onto Nyx's shoulder and held it their for a few seconds. The stamp glowed as it branded the magical ink onto Nyx's skin. When Mira pulled it away, a dark purple Fairy Tail emblem sat proudly upon Nyx's right shoulder. She looked at it with amazement.

_I bet I looked the same way whenever I got my Fairy Tail tattoo._

"Wow, it looks so cool!" Nyx exclaimed. She looked at Makarov and smiled thankfully. "I guess this means Fairy Tail is my new family, right?" She asked him. This made tears come to Lucy's eyes. "That's right," Makarov answered. "In Fairy Tail, everyone if your family. You can count on anyone to be there for you."

Just then, the guild hall's front door slammed open. A man with extremely long, spiky black hair walked through, a huge hunk of metal in his mouth. "Gajeel! Welcome back! Did the job go well?" Makarov asked the man. "It went fine. Nothing destroyed. Got the pay." Gajeel answered indifferently. He spotted Nyx. "Who's the kid? She kinda looks like Natsu." He asked. Natsu grinned at Gajeel and replied, "This here is Nyx. She's my long-lost little sister! Never knew I had one until she ran into me on the street."

Gajeel seemed surprised. "Wait, you have a sister? I didn't expect that, that's for sure. Good to meet ya, kid."

Hearing Gajeel call her "kid" seemed to infuriate her. She went over to Gajeel and decked him in the nose. "I am NOT a kid! WHY does everybody keep calling me that?! I'm 15-years-old for heaven's sake!" She shouted. Gajeel rubbed the blood streaming from his nose. It didn't look broken, but it probably didn't feel too good. Gajeel looked at her with anger, but also, respect. "I think I like her. She's got spunk." He spotted the Fairy Tail mark on her shoulder. "So, she joined the guild, huh? Good. That'll give me plenty of time to get her back for punchin' her nose." Gajeel turned around to leave, but then saw Gray sulking on the floor. "What's up with him. He's usually much more annoying. He looks kinda down."

"Yea," Natsu said. "That's because Nyx here kicked his butt in a fight in record time. Less than two minutes and he was out cold!" This news seemed to impress Gajeel. "She beat him? Well then, one day we're gonna have to go toe-to-toe. I know he's not near the strongest one in the guild, but he ain't no pushover, either. If you can beat 'em, that's good enough for me. I'll be looking forward to it. See you around." With that, Gajeel walked over to the bar to get some food.

"I didn't even say one word to him, and now he wants to fight me?" Nyx asked. "Yup, that's Gajeel for ya," Happy stated. "Well, I don't have a problem with it. What kind of magic does he use? And why does he have metal rivets in his face?" she asked. Erza spoke up before anyone else had the chance to answer. "Gajeel is an Iron Dragon Slayer. He's damn near equal in power to Natsu, but not quite. Natsu beat him while we were fighting the Phantom Lord guild. But you don't know about that fight. We'll tell you some other time."

_Erza must have forgotten that Nyx can see people's memories. She probably already knows everything about that fight my looking at what we remember._

Confirming Lucy's thoughts, Nyx laughed and said to Erza, "There's no need to explain. I got the gist of it." Nyx tapped her head, hinting to the fact that she knew everything about it. "Oh, yea, right. I forgot." Erza stuttered.

Lucy, Nyx, Natsu, Erza, and Makarov talked for what seemed like hours. Lucy and the others asked Nyx questions about her past, how it was like learning magic on her own, and other stuff like that. Nyx asked questions too, which confused Lucy, because she assumed that she could just look at everyone's memories to get the answers she wanted. Lucy decided to ask Nyx about it.

"Hey, if you can see our memories and emotions, why do you have to ask us questions about the guild if you could just get your answers that way?"

Nyx had no trouble at all answering that. "Because, it doesn't feel right, invading someone's privacy when I could just as easily get the answers I need by talking. Also, it takes much more magic energy to look at people's memories than it does looking at their emotions. It just feels right to talk to people."

Lucy nodded. That made sense. _At least she's not a jerk that enjoys prying into people's private thoughts. Even if she does, Nyx doesn't seem like the person who would go around telling the whole guild about others' secrets._

Out of nowhere, Gray approached the group with a calm look on his face. He seemed much more in character than he was earlier.

"Hey, it's getting late. Ima head home. See you in the morning. Oh and, Nyx, good fight today. I hope we can have a rematch sometime. I'll be looking forward to it." With that, Gray walked out the door, still shirtless.

Exasperated, Nyx sighed. "It's like the whole guild is lining up to fight me. I don't mind it, but it's still a little weird." Natsu smiled. "I wouldn't mind taken you on either, Nyx. I wanna see where we stand in skill."

"Oh, jeez. Not you too." Complained Nyx. "But I don't care. Doesn't make much difference to me."

Everyone laughed, even Natsu. Lucy didn't know who would win that battle. Natsu was strong and extremely powerful, but Nyx could predict his every move and use it to her advantage. That would be a tough call. Lucy yawned, suddenly noticing how tired she was. The day's events had worn her out. "Well, I think I'm going to start heading home. I'm exhausted."

"Yea, me too," Natsu said, yawning as well. "How bout you, Nyx?"

"Yea, I'm beat, but the problem is, I don't have anywhere to stay. I'm sure ill find someplace to sleep." Nyx said. She acted like having nowhere to go was normal, which in her case it was. Master Makarov spoke up. "I would offer you a place in the girl's dormitories, but at the moment, all of them are taken. I'm sorry but I can't offer you anywhere else to sleep."

Lucy was about to tell Nyx that she was welcome to stay the night in her apartment, but Natsu beat her to it. "You can stay with me and Happy until you get your own place, Nyx. We'd be happy help you out."

Nyx looked at Natsu with appreciation in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Natsu. It won't be too much trouble, would it?"

"Of coarse not. I may have just met you, but you're my little sister and I need to take care of you. Isn't that right?"

Lucy almost couldn't take it. She had never heard Natsu say anything so kind and considerate to anybody. He was usually so oblivious and thickheaded to notice anything. She wished that Natsu would be more open and willing to share what his feelings were.

With her sleeping arrangements made, Natsu and Nyx walked out of the front door of the guild hall. Natsu must have said something to her that made her mad, because just as they were about to step out of the door, Nyx shoved him into the doorframe. "Ow! Now why did ya have to do that?" Lucy heard Natsu say. "I told you, don't call me a kid!" Nyx hollered back. They started arguing like any brother and sister while walking out the door.

"It's scary how much those two are alike," Erza said. "Except Nyx got all of the brains in the family and Natsu got the impulsive idiocy." That made Lucy laugh. It was true. She wondered if those two could go a night without anything too destructive happening, but with Natsu, you never knew.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- Natsu's Perspective**

"Did you really have to shove me?" Natsu asked, annoyed.

"Yes, because I hate when people call me 'kid' or 'little' or 'small' or 'helpless.' I've been called those names all my life and I'm sick of it. I'm not a helpless little girl and I don't want people calling or treating me like one." She retorted. Natsu was a little surprised at her sudden burst of anger. He suddenly started to feel a little angry as well, but he knew why. Nyx must have not been controlling her abilities, and now he was going to feel whatever she felt.

_Actually, it kind of helps to know how she feels. I'll understand her better that way. I wonder what its like, constantly seeing what people are thinking or feeling. After we ran into each other, didn't she also say something about sharpening her senses? I'm going to ask about that._

"You don't need to ask." Nyx said. Natsu was confused for a second, and then remembered that she could see his thoughts. "I did sharpen my senses. I can see sharper and clearer. I am able to see things normal humans cant with the naked eye. I also have excellent night vision and do not require a light source to see clearly, even if it is pitch black. My sense of hearing has increased as well. I can hear the beating of an owl's wings at night, and the sound of a leaf when it drops. I could also hear the sound of Gray's ice lance coming at me. That's how I was able to dodge them without looking. I can even hear the individual footsteps of an ant if I concentrate hard and if it's quiet enough."

Natsu nodded in understanding. "When we get to my home, I'll warn you now, it's a little messy. I don't usually clean up very well, so I apologies. But, it is where I call home."

"I don't mind," Nyx said. "I was never super tidy whenever I lived with Mary and Frank. They would always yell at me for leaving tremendous messes everywhere. I never did understand why some people can't stand when things are messy. I actually thing that it makes a place more cozy."

Natsu sighed with relief. "Good. Because most people would probably have a heart attack if they saw my house." Nyx laughed. "Mary used to say the same thing about my room."

Natsu was glad. His sister was more like him than he realized. Natsu wondered if they would end up being best friends or rivals once they got to know each other better. The latter didn't seem like the most likely option. He knew not to get on her bad side, though, because she could knock him out with a quick jab to the neck. In her own way, Nyx was just as scary as Erza.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Every day he walked to the outskirts of magnolia with Happy to his little house. He had never walked there with another person before. This was a first for him. As far as he knew, he had never invited another person to his house before.

When they finally approached his house, Nyx gasped. "Oh, it's so cute! It actually reminds me of Mary and Frank's little cabin." Nyx walked up to a sign out front that read "Natsu and Happy." Natsu smiled, glad that Nyx liked it. Natsu always liked his house. It wasn't extravagant; it felt like home. Nyx walked towards the front door and waited for Natsu to approach it. Natsu opened the door and motioned for Nyx to come inside. "You don't lock the front door? Aren't you afraid that someone might come and steal all your stuff?"

Natsu chuckled. "No one's ever come here before, so why should they start now? Besides, everybody knows that, if they steal form me, they're gonna get a face full of flames!" Natsu ignited his had to prove his point. "I see," Nyx said.

Nyx went inside of his house. She smiled as she took a look around. "Hey, this place feels cozy," she observed. "Yup, home sweet home." Natsu responded. He always felt more secure in the guild hall, but his house had a certain feel to it that made it home.

When Natsu entered the house, he realized just how messy it really was. The place wasn't dirty, with mold and dust or anything. There was just stuff everywhere. Natsu kept all of the job request flyers that he had ever taken, including the S Class job request flyer that sent him on a job to Galuna Island. He also kept a souvenir from each job he went on, and boy, there were a lot of them. He especially liked the keepsakes from jobs he went on with Lucy. Ever since he met her, he had felt a strong connection with her, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe he could ask Nyx about that later.

It was really late, and Natsu was sure that Nyx was as tired as he was. "I'll crash on the couch," Nyx said. "Alright, sure. You need a blanket?" Natsu went over to a cupboard and grabbed a big blanket.

"Yea, thanks Natsu. You know, I'm glad I found you today. Before I ran into you, I was having a horrible day. I slipped and fell into the river while walking on the edge right next to it. It was freezing cold, and after that, some guy about 19 was trying to pickpocket me. I tried to get away but he kept following me. Sooner or later I lost him, but he was creepy. That's why I was running through the streets, trying to get away form him. Not to mention, today is actually my birthday and all this stuff happened. It turned out to be a better day than I could have imagined."

"Wait, it's your birthday? Why didn't you tell anyone?" Natsu asked. Nyx shrugged. "I didn't think that it was that important. I mean, I'll have plenty of birthdays in the future. Why should one be that big of a deal?"

Natsu realized that Nyx probably didn't celebrate her birthday. She had been alone for four years. Before that, she lived with two old geezers and most likely didn't have any friends. It was a sad thought.

"Well, how 'bout tomorrow, I take you out to get cake. Ill give you a tour of Magnolia if you'd like. Just the two of us. I have plenty of money now. I don't know if you realized, but I bet almost every jewel I had that you'd win the fight with Gray. I would like to get to know you better. You know, I've only known you for a day, but I feel like I've known you for a lot longer. Is that weird?"

"Actually, you've known me for most of your life, but you just don't remember. And, no, it isn't weird. I feel the same way."

Natsu smiled. He had a sister. Better yet, he had someone who he could talk to now. He knew that his friends in Fairy Tail were like family to him, but she was his honest-to-goodness sister. He could confide in her without it getting awkward. Natsu knew that she wouldn't judge him; she didn't seem like that kind of person. _She probably knows how I feel anyway. _It was a comforting thought, knowing he had someone to talk to now. It would be too weird to talk with Gray- he would probably just make fun of him. Mira was the one he seriously considered going to, but Mira couldn't keep a secret for the life of her. Elfman would just tell him what a real man would do. Erza- no, not Erza.

And then there was Lucy. Lucy, the girl whose smile could cheer him up in the blink of an eye. Lucy, the one that Natsu always wanted by his side, though he was not sure why. Natsu had always felt that he had to protect her. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but Natsu just felt better when he was near her.

Natsu was confused about his feelings "Hey, Nyx? Do…" Natsu started to ask, but was cut off. "Not right now, Natsu. I'm exhausted and probably wont be much help. Right now I need to sleep. Alright?"

Natsu nodded in understanding. _At least she'll be willing to listen at some point. I'll know the right time to ask again._

"G'night, Nyx. See ya in the morning."

Natsu looked over at Happy, wondering why he hadn't said anything. He saw the blue cat already sleeping in his little bed. Natsu went to his bed, thinking how much more comfortable Lucy's bed was. He lay down, quickly drifting off into sleep.

Natsu shot out of bed, woken up by a noise in the middle of the night. Natsu wondered of Nyx and Happy were okay. He went over to Happy's bed to check on him, and the little cat was sound asleep. Next, he went to the couch Nyx was sleeping on. As he approached, he saw movement coming from the couch. Nyx was tossing and turning and moaning, but still seemed to be asleep. Natsu got closer to Nyx, trying to get a better look at her, and he suddenly felt afraid and lonely. _She must be having a nightmare and isn't able to control her magic while sleeping. I wonder what she's dreaming about that would make her feel lonely. It can't be anything good._

Nyx continued to toss and turn, occasionally mumbling unintelligible phrases. Natsu was about to go back to bed, but he heard Nyx say something that was all too clear. "N…Na…Natsu! Don't leave! Don't leave again! Please!"

This froze him in his tracks. She was having a nightmare about him, and he was leaving her. He once heard somewhere that when you have a nightmare, it reflects your actual fears. _She must be afraid of losing the only family she has left. First our parents, then Mary and Frank, and now she's afraid that I'm going to leave her, too. That's never going to happen. But why did she say 'Don't leave again'? She must mean when I was caught by that storm. It's crazy that I don't even remember any of it. I was too young._

Nyx's face was scrunched up tight, unable to relax because of the nightmare. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Natsu didn't want to wake her up. Instead he laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. It actually seemed to help a little. Nyx's face relaxed a little bit, but she continued to squirm and moan. Natsu could still feel her fear and loneliness. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Finally, Natsu decided that she might feel better if she wasn't sleeping on the couch. He lifted her up gently, careful not to wake her up. He carried her over to his bed and laid her down. He drew the covers over her so she wouldn't be cold. Instantly, a more peaceful look came across Nyx's face. The fear and loneliness that Natsu felt subsided, and Nyx stopped thrashing. Natsu was relieved to see that her nightmare was over. He walked over to the couch, even more tired than he had been before he went to bed. He threw himself onto the couch, and fell asleep so fast he didn't remember hitting it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- Nyx's Perspective**

Nyx awoke in a bed that she did not remember falling asleep on. Confused, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and took a look around. She saw that she was in Natsu's bed, and Natsu was sawing longs on the couch.

_Why am I sleeping in his bed? I thought I fell asleep on the couch. Am I just losing it?_

Happy was still zonked out on his little bed. Natsu rolled over, crashing onto the floor, startling himself awake. "Wha… who… why am I on the floor?" He asked, yawning. His fist was balled up, sprouting flames like he was ready for a fight. "You rolled off the couch, stupid. Hey, why am I in your bed? I didn't fall asleep here."

Natsu smiled. "You were having a nightmare, and it wouldn't go away so I carried you off the couch to sleep in my bed, hoping it would make you feel better. I know that the couch isn't that comfortable."

Nyx looked at her brother in amazement. From what she could tell by getting info on him from his friends' memories, Natsu was dense, oblivious, and destructive. He couldn't go on a single job without destroying something. But she was looking at was a different person than who everyone thought he was. She was looking at the sweet, caring side of Natsu that people rarely got to see. She could feel that he really did care about her, which made her happy. Sometimes it was nice to know how someone felt about you, Nyx thought.

She got up out of Natsu's bed, doing the extremely complex stretches that she did every morning. Because she slept on the ground so much, her body was often stiff and sore in the morning. She performed a series of complex contortions that helped relieve the soreness. It was morning routine for her, but when Natsu saw her putting both legs behind her head, she could tell he thought she was crazy.

"Um, what are you doing?" Natsu asked her. She looked at him and said simply, "I'm stretching."

Natsu looked confused, but fascinated at the same time. "Why are you stretching so much, and how are you doing that?! That's so cool that you can put both legs behind your head. Are you like, super flexible or something?"

Nyx shrugged. "I guess so. I've been doing these stretches ever since I went on the quest to find you. They help get rid of the soreness I have in the morning from sleeping on the ground. I don't have it today, which is a nice change, but it doesn't feel right if I don't do them," she answered. Nyx changed her stretching position; she lay on her stomach, lifted her arms backwards over her head, and grabbed her toes, forming a kind of wheel with her body. Natsu stared in amazement. "How do you do that? You gotta teach me that one day!"

"Sure," Nyx said, "But it might hurt, a lot"

Natsu and Nyx got ready to go to the guild hall in the morning for breakfast. Nyx slept in her clothes, so she didn't have to do anything but re-do her ponytail. She never bothered to fix her hair up- she never saw the need for it. From her years on the road, she saw tons of girls who were always going on about how cute their clothes were or how nice their hair was. It sickened Nyx at how petty some people were. She could see why people wanted to look nice- no one wanted to look horrible. But she absolutely hated when girls thought of nothing other than their appearance.

Natsu went over to Happy with a devious smile and started tickling him to wake him up. "Hey, Natsu! Cut it out! I was sleeping!" Happy said with a groan. "But we gotta get up!" Natsu replied with annoyance. Happy sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. In no time, the three of them were ready to head off into town.

This was not the first time Nyx had walked through Magnolia, but it was the first time she had enjoyed it. The city was big and well taken care of. Nyx had been through some pretty crappy towns in her years, and she stayed in none of them very long. But Magnolia was a place that people could proudly call their home. There were plenty of Magic shops around the town. Nyx decided that she would have to check some out later with Natsu. There were also clothing shops, bakeries, diners, and little curio stores scattered around the place. Nyx noticed how many times people greeted Natsu- he must have been pretty popular. More than once, people stopped to ask who Nyx was, and every time, Natsu simply answered, "She's my sister."

They finally arrived at the guild hall. When they entered, the whole guild greeted them with smiles and laughter. Even Gray seemed to be in a much better mood. He was talking to Erza and Lucy, laughing occasionally when one of them said something funny. Natsu walked right up to them with Nyx trailing close behind.

Natsu said something that Nyx did not expect, but do her power, she knew it was coming all the same. "Did you know that yesterday was Nyx's birthday? She didn't even tell me until we were going to bed."

Lucy, Gray, and Erza looked at Nyx in bewilderment. "Why didn't you tell us? Someone's birthday in Fairy Tail is a big deal." Gray stated.

Nyx shrugged. "I don't know. I've never really celebrated my birthday before. I haven't really had friends close to my age. All I've ever had were Mary and Frank. I didn't think that it was that big of a deal."

Erza got a funny look in her eye. Nyx sensed that her brain was going into overdrive as she started planning. Lucy started thinking about parties as well. Gray wasn't much of a party planner- he was more of the party crasher. Natsu was the same way; he would much rather attend and go crazy at a party than think about planning one.

"Hey, Nyx and I are going to head into town after some breakfast to go look around. I'm going to show her the city and all of the cool stuff in it, like all the amazing food!"

Lucy and Erza nodded, but were barely paying attention anymore. They were more focused on Nyx's birthday than anything else at the moment. Gray was the only one listening right now.

"Alright. Natsu, how about you go get Nyx her breakfast. I want to talk to her for a second. Alone."

Nyx was about to say she could get her own breakfast, but decided that talking to Gray after what happened yesterday was a good idea. She knew that Natsu understood. He nodded and walked towards the bar where Mira was washing glasses.

"Hey, Gray, I'm sorry for yesterday. I just…" Nyx began, but Gray cut her off. "Hey, it's fine. No worries. I had no idea what your magic was or what you could do, so I didn't know exactly how to handle it. Maybe next time, it'll be more of a fair fight now that I know you don't use any attack magic."

Nyx chuckled. "I'm glad you don't hold a grudge, Gray. But why do you want to fight me again?"

"Because I want to see if I can beat you." He said. "Oh, and I have another question for you. Before you fought me, you rattled off info about me. I get that you were trying to confuse me and make me wary, but you said something at the very end. You were about to tell the whole guild…" Nyx stopped him there. "That's just the kind of power I have. I can tell who everybody likes. I don't even try to look for that kind of emotion- I just know. I can tell who Lucy likes, who Erza likes, who Mira likes, who Natsu likes, and who likes them. I can tell that you like Juv…" Gray clamped his hand over her mouth.

"SHH! If she hears, she'll go crazy! I don't need her knowing right now." Gray said quietly. Then, he realized something she just said. "Wait, Natsu had a crush on someone? That dense, thick-headed jerk?" Nyx nodded. A devious smile appeared on Gray's lips. "I'm not usually into gossip, but I need to get some dirt on him. Would you tell me who?" He pleaded. Nyx considered it for a second. She was sure that Natsu would hate her if she told anyone. She didn't like telling someone's personal feelings to other people. Then again, she could always make Gray swear not to tell anybody.

_Why am I doing this?_

Nyx looked at Gray. "Fine, but you have to promise you won't say ANYTHING to anybody, especially Natsu. If you do, I'll know. And if I know, you are in for a world of pain, and not just the physical kind of pain." Nyx's voice turned stone cold as she said that last sentence. She could tell that she scared the ever-living crap out of Gray, and not just because of the fact that she obliterated him in a fight. "I promise I wont tell a soul," he said finally.

Nyx nodded, satisfied by his answer. In addition to sensing someone's thoughts and feelings, she could also tell if a person was lying. She motioned for Gray to lean in so she could whisper a name to him. When she was done telling him, he had a mischievous smile on his face. He looked over at Natsu, and then to a certain someone that he had a crush on.

"You know, Nyx, your magic is freaky. No one can hide anything from you. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess we'll just have to see." Gray ended his sentence as Natsu walked up with two platters of pancakes, one in each hand.

Nyx's mouth started to water. "Those look awesome. Did Mira cook them?" she asked hopefully. Natsu nodded in response. "Best pancakes I ever did have. Now, lets sit by our friends and finish them quickly so we can head into town. That sound good?" He asked. "That sounds great, Natsu," She told him. They walked over to where Erza and Lucy were talking. Nyx could hear that they were talking about a certain party that would be happening in the near future. Natsu and Nyx scarffed down their pancakes. Gray kept looking at Natsu, then would turn his head to look at the girl he now knew Natsu was interested in. Gray smiled. The girl who Gray kept looking at noticed his constant stares. "Why do you keep looking at me, perv?" Lucy said. Gray turned his attention on Nyx and smiled at her. He said back to Lucy, "No reason. I'm just thinking."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- Gray's Perspective**

_This is rich. I knew that Natsu and Lucy were good friends and all, but I didn't see this coming._

Natsu and Nyx had just left for their day in the town. Meanwhile, Erza, Lucy, Levi, and a few others were busy planning the party. It wouldn't be a surprise party- Nyx already knew there was going to be a party. What she didn't know, however, was how huge it was going to be. Fairy Tail didn't take birthdays lightly, especially the first birthday that a member celebrates in the guild.

The entire afternoon was spent decorating for a huge birthday party. However, none of the decorations where what a girl would usually have at her party. Nyx had made it clear earlier that she didn't like girly things when Lucy asked her what kind of clothes she liked to shop for. Gray laughed at the memory of it.

"_Clothes? Why would I care about fancy clothes? They make it harder to run and move around. I don't give a crap about how I look. I swear the next person who tries to talk to me about how cute an outfit looks is going to be in a world of hurt!"_

Gray could tell Lucy was scared of Nyx. Any sane person would be. She had Natsu's aggressive nature, but she was more intelligent and clever than he was. She thought before she acted, which gave her superiority over her brother when it came to brains. Nyx wasn't the kind of person who was constantly worrying about her appearance. Although, Gray did think that she looked pretty, which made him throw up in his mouth a little cause she kind of looked like Natsu.

There were decorations everywhere. They weren't your cheesy average party decorations; they were magic decorations that went above and beyond any person's expectations. Lacrima floated just under the ceiling, releasing multi-colored fireworks every now and again, so there were endless amounts of color in the sky. The stage was illuminated by three spotlights, each a different color. The tables were equipped with enchantments that cleaned up any mess you left behind, so there was no worry about cleaning up. Dance music was playing through loud speakers, which were magically altered so the volume of the music would be as loud as you wanted it. There would be no one arguing to "crank it up" or to "turn it down." Ice sculptures, courtesy of Gray, lined the table where a huge, strawberry cheesecake stood as the centerpiece. Erza was thrilled when Nyx said that it was her favorite kind of cake. It was Erza's favorite, too.

It was three hours before Natsu and Nyx returned to the guild. Natsu knew that Fairy Tail constantly went to the extremes, but Nyx had never witnessed first-hand how amazing a Fairy Tail Party could be.

The party would start the moment they walked through the door. Bickslow had been stationed outside the door to watch for Nyx and Natsu when they returned. The moment he ran back into the door, he yelled, "THEY'RE COMING! EVERYBODY GET READY!"

Natsu walked in first, closely followed by Nyx. They were greeted with a "Happy Birthday, Nyx!" from everybody in the guild. Music blared, people laughed, and Fairy Tail was thrown into a mass of dancing, partying, and drinking within a matter of seconds. Natsu seemed thrilled by the party, but Nyx seemed even more excited.

_This is her first birthday party ever. It's a little sad, though. She's 15 and has never had a real friend to celebrate with._

Gray instantly got into the party, as did everybody else. Nyx may not have been much of a girly girl, but boy, did she know how to dance. She danced like no one Gray had ever seen before. Natsu, Erza, Gray, and even Elfman all joined in with Nyx as they partied away. Gray laughed- he hadn't had this much fun in a while. Usually, Gray wasn't much of a dancer and would most likely sit out during a party, but Nyx's good mood was infectious. It was like everyone around her suddenly got up and felt the need to start dancing. Gray wondered if it was because of Nyx's magic, but at the moment, he didn't care. All he wanted to do was to let go and dance, and by the looks of it, so did everybody else. Even Makarov was letting loose some moves that only people his age would know.

A good hour passed before the cake was cut open. Everyone gathered around the giant cake to sing happy birthday to Nyx. 15 candles were placed at the top of the cake. Natsu lit each one of them with his fire magic. The height of the cake made it do Nyx had to stand up on her chair in order to be able to blow them out. After the guild sang, Nyx took one huge breath and blew as hard as she could. All 15 candles went out. The guild cheered as Erza sliced the cake and handed the first piece to Nyx. Nyx took a bite.

"It's delicious!" She proclaimed with the cake still in her mouth. After that, the cake was mobbed with guild members, each taking a slice. Natsu ate at least 5 pieces, while Erza ate so many that Gray lost track. He had one piece, and he had to admit, the cake was pretty good.

When everybody had finished their cake, Makarov declared that Nyx open the guild's birthday gift to her. Nyx looked surprised. "You guys didn't have to get me anything. Being a part of Fairy Tail is a gift enough!"

Makarov shook his head. "Now, now, Nyx. It is custom to give a gift to a person on their birthday. The whole guild was glad to help out in getting you something on such short notice."

Nyx was lead to a table. On that table was a five-foot long box wrapped in glowing paper. She walked up to the box, holding it for just a second. Gray wondered if she already knew what it was because she checked someone's memory, but then decided against it. Gray knew that everybody liked a surprise, and Nyx wasn't dumb enough to spoil it for herself.

"Go on now, unwrap it." Gray said, tired of the suspense. Nyx nodded and carefully unwrapped the paper. Inside was a white box with a lid fitted on top. Nyx lifted up the lid, and inside was the most beautifully crafted bow Gray had ever seen. It was white, with silver trimming along the edges. The graceful curve of the bow was met at both ends by a fine white string that connected them. It was masterly crafted, given a graceful, but also deadly, appearance. The main attribute of the bow was the silver Fairy Tail emblem about 6 inches above where the arrow would be knocked. It looked to be the perfect size for Nyx.

But the bow wasn't the only thing inside the box. A white quiver sat holding 20 silver arrows. The arrow tips were razor sharp, sharp enough to pierce even the toughest of steel. The arrows had a faint glow to them, almost to faint to see. Gray guessed that there was some kind of magic used on them. He looked at the bow and saw that it, too, had a faint glow to it. The bow, quiver, and arrows must have cost a fortune all together. Gray remembered pitching in some money to help pay for the gift, but no one was told what it was going to be.

Nyx looked at the bow in wonder, too stunned to speak. She held the bow in her hand as if she had been shooting with it all her life. Gray wondered if she had ever even shot a bow and arrow before. It sure looked like she had.

"Oh my gosh," Nyx finally said. "This is beautiful! Thank you so much, everybody. This is the nicest bow I have ever seen. It looks like it was made by a master. Wherever did you find this?"

Erza spoke up. "This bow was made by the finest weapons maker in all of Fiore," she said. "I get all of my swords from the same place I got this bow. It has magical properties. The bow can only be wielded by the owner, which is you. No one else is able to pull back the string, not even me. The string will never snap, no matter how hard you or anyone else pulls on it. The arrows are enchanted so that they will reappear in your quiver whenever you need them too. They will never break and never dull. You will not have to worry about losing them. The best part is, if you accidentally hit something that you did not intend to pierce, the arrows won't go through, so you don't have to worry about hitting something, or someone, important. Oh, and there's one more thing. This bow takes extreme skill and precision to use. It will not take any magic energy to fire regularly, but if you wish to boost the speed of you arrows, you are able to put some of your magic energy behind it to do just that. Understand?" Erza asked.

Nyx nodded. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. How did you know I knew how to shoot a bow, Erza?"

Erza smiled. "During your battle with Gray, I saw the way you squinted at him whenever you dodged his ice hammer. It looked as though you were looking down the shaft of an arrow. Also, you have the build of an archer. You stand tall when you look at someone and you have extremely good focus. I had a pretty good hunch you were adept at archery."

Gray was impressed. He knew Erza was good at deducting people's strengths, but he was amazed that she could figure that out about Nyx with barely anything to go on. Nyx looked impressed, too. "Wow, you're good at that," Nyx stated with wonder in her voice. Natsu looked at the bow like it was made of gold, but Gray could tell that Natsu wanted to shoot the bow for himself.

"Thank you so much, everyone! Now I can finally master the bow and arrow. I'll have to find targets to practice on." She looked at Natsu with a devious glare. Natsu understood perfectly what she implied. "Oh, no. No way are you going to shoot that thing at me for target practice. Nuh uh."

Everybody laughed. Gray found the idea of shooting arrows at Natsu extremely amusing. He wondered if Nyx was a good shot. Gray guessed that he would just have to wait and see.

Not a second later, the lights in the guild hall dimmed, and everyone looked towards the stage. Three spotlights were pointed at the center of the stage. The guild went silent as Mira walked onto the stage with her guitar and sat in a chair that was illuminated by the spotlight. Everybody sat down to listen to Mira sing. Gray had to admit, her voice was beautiful. She could sing better than anyone he knew in the guild. Nyx looked confused. "Is she going to sing?" She asked.

"Yup," Erza responded. "She's quite a prodigious singer. Listen."

Nyx stared at the stage and waited. Mira started the song.

The melody was a eerie, but also quite lovely. Gray personally enjoyed it when Mira sang. Everybody else seemed to, too. Everybody but Natsu. He seemed to care less about who had musical talent. Gray guessed it just wasn't his thing.

Nyx looked at Mira with wonder. "She has a wonderful singing voice. I've never heard anybody sing quite like her before. She reminds me of the songbirds that I listened to in my years of traveling. Every day was a new song to listen to. It was one of the things that made me feel a little less alone."

_Jeez! This kid must have really had it rough if the songbirds were her only company. _

Nyx suddenly looked at Gray with a dangerous look on her face. It was the same face she gave people when they called her "little."

_Oh, crap. I totally forgot she could hear my thoughts. _He then started thinking directly at her, hoping she would hear what he was thinking. _No one has privacy around you, do they? Sorry I called you kid, but this is my mind. I can think whatever I want._

Nyx nodded in understanding. It was bizarre that he could hear him, but he couldn't hear her. He wondered if she could talk to people with her mind, like telepathy.

_"Does this answer your question?" _Nyx's voice suddenly popped into Gray's mind as clear as if he had heard it. "_Cool,"_ was all he thought back. Gray turned his attention back to Mira, who had nearly completed her song. A few lines later, she was finished. The whole guild clapped and whooped and hollered for an encore, but Mira took a bow and stepped off the stage. The next person on stage was one that people never would have expected before he joined the guild. Gajeel jumped onto center stage, rocking sunglasses and a white suit. He held an electric guitar in his hands. "I'm gonna sing a little song that I wrote myself. It's called, 'Best Friend.'

Gray had heard him sing this song so many times; he almost knew all the words to it. He wasn't bad, actually. Gajeel was a surprisingly good singer. He started off with his usual "Shoo be do bah" and other scatting. The guild had come to like his odd style of music. They cheered him on, but not quite as much as they had with Mira. Natsu, of coarse, was sitting at a table with his ears plugged. Nyx looked to be enjoying herself, as did Erza. Gray couldn't help but wonder where Juvia was. She was usually stalking him close behind by now. He looked around and, sure enough, she was staring right at him with little hearts in her eyes. Gray quickly looked away, afraid that he had made eye contact. The stalking part was a little creepy, but Gray had come to like Juvia. It was weird, he thought. Gray had thought that all the creepy stalking and obsession would drive him away, but somehow, it made him more interested in her.

He looked at Nyx, suddenly remembering that she probably knew everything she was thinking, but Nyx didn't seem to be paying him any attention. She was staring at Natsu, almost on the verge of laughing. "No way," she said, almost to nobody. Then she spoke directly to Natsu. "You're jealous of Gajeel," she realized. She said that loud enough for plenty of people to hear. Erza turned around to look at Natsu as well. Nyx stated again, "You're jealous of Gajeel's singing. Your jealous because he can do something you can't."

By this time, almost everyone in the guild hall was looking straight at the two of them. Natsu's face had gone considerably red. His head erupted into flames. "I'm not jealous that that metal head can sing!"

Gajeel had seemed to hear that last statement and smiled wickedly. "Oh, so you're jealous, huh? You wish you could sing as well as I can?"

Natsu was flaming with rage, quite literally. Gray was trying his bet not to laugh, and it looked like everyone else was doing the same. "You're jealous! I can sense it. Don't deny it, Natsu."

"I said I am NOT jealous of Gajeel. I'll prove it, too. Hey, Gajeel. Hand me that microphone!" Natsu yelled with a hint of embarrassment. Gajeel looked a little surprised, but then smiled and handed the microphone right over. "Let's see what you can do, flame-for-brains," he said smugly. Natsu snatched the microphone out of Gajeel's hand and held it up to his mouth. Gray knew that Natsu never backed down from a challenge, even if no one directly challenged him. Gray wondered if he was any good at singing.

Natsu started singing, with no music in the background. He sang a song that was relatively popular, but Gray didn't think that Natsu knew any songs by heart. Gray didn't even know that Natsu knew anything about music in general.

_When I see your face,_

_my hear starts to race_

_and feelings overtake me_

Gray was shocked. He would never admit it, but Natsu was a better singer than Gajeel. A way better singer. Everyone else noticed it, too, because when Gray looked around, everyone was staring at Natsu in bewilderment. Soon smiles came on their faces as they realized that Natsu was a pretty great singer. The whole thing confused Gray.

_You in my arms_

_the sound of your voice_

_will soon come to break me_

Gajeel seemed to know the song too, because he started to play his guitar in sync with Natsu's song. He smiled like he was getting really into it. Natsu smiled, too, as if he was no longer embarrassed and wanted to show everyone that he was NOT jealous. In fact, Gajeel started singing along

_I cannot hold it back_

_when did love come to hate me?_

_Feelings I don't know_

_will all drive me crazy_

By now, the entire guild was into it. Even Erza was smiling. Nyx had a grin on her face, as if she had planned the whole thing.

_How can I not know_

_that love's about to take me_

_about to take me_

_about to take me?_

_How can love know_

_That I'm already taken_

_already taken_

_already taken?_

Gajeel and Natsu were really getting into it now. They were dancing on the stage like they had planned it for weeks. Gajeel played the song like he'd known it all his life. Natsu and Gajeel sang the song so well that, for all Gray knew, they had been practicing it forever. When they finished, they both took a bow and gave each other a high five. Natsu started walking forward. Instantly, Gray shouted, "NATSU! Watch where you're walking!"

Natsu looked at Gray in confusion. "Wha… AHHHHHHHHH"

He had walked right off the stage.

Right on top of Lucy

Gray saw the whole thing clear as day. Natsu had walked off the stage, fallen on top of Lucy, and they accidentally fell to the floor, causing both of their lips to press together.

Gray almost laughed, but then saw the look of terror on Natsu's face when he realized what had happened. Lucy looked equally as terrified, but in a different way.

Natsu stood up without a word. Lucy sat there on the ground. Without warning, Natsu took of running and ran straight out the front door. Lucy continued to sit there, confused. Gray was about to run off after him, and Happy was about to do the same, but something stopped him. Nyx was standing. She held up a hand to Gray, silently telling him that he shouldn't go after Natsu. Happy seemed to know this, too, because he sat back down.

Nyx silently walked passed the crowd of people, and when she was through, she took off after her brother.

The sudden turn of events made something clear to everyone- the party was over.

**AN: My friend made up the lyrics to the song. I asked her to and she was glad to help out. No copyright here! :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- Erza's perspective**

_Whoa._

This was not how Erza expected the party to end. After Natsu ran out, Nyx ran out after him. Lucy sat on the floor for a good five minutes before walking into the girl's bathroom. Erza really didn't know what was going on, but she did know that Natsu and Lucy just kissed.

Even if it was an accident, it was a kiss all the same. It was kind of cute, actually. Erza wondered what Natsu and Lucy thought about this. Nyx ran after Natsu, and surely she knew exactly how he felt about it. She figured that Nyx would help Natsu out, but who would help Lucy? Mira would probably end up making things worse, and she would be the first one to go and try to comfort Lucy. Levi might be a good choice, but she was off on a job with Jet and Droy. Maybe Gray?

No, how dare she think about making Lucy suffer through whatever Gray had to say about love. Erza could tell that Lucy's little accidental kiss would cause serious repercussions between her and Natsu in the future.

She looked over at the guild, scanning for anyone that might be of assistance to Lucy on this subject. Her eyes landed on Juvia, but she quickly moved on, thinking Juvia would only end up talking about "her beloved" Gray. Erza continued to scan the guild hall. She found herself looking at Gray with a huge grin on his face. He was looking at the front doors, obviously thinking about something amusing.

_He knows something. I'll have to ask him about this later. For now, I need to find someone who would be suited to reassure Lucy in her time of need!_

She continued to look around. She saw no one else that could be of assistance. Then, she thought herself stupid when an obvious conclusion came to her mind.

_I'll go in there and help her. I don't really know what she's feeling, but I can sure do my best to help. This may be the most important mission of my life._

Erza gathered up her courage and stormed into the girl's bathroom. All of the stalls were empty but one. Erza closed the door to the bathroom and locked it so no one would walk in on their conversation.

"Hey, Lucy. What's wrong" Erza inquired.

"Nothing," Lucy said, a slight crack in her voice.

"I know something is wrong Lucy. Tell me about it. I might be able to help you."

Erza heard Lucy let out a long sigh. "That's the thing. I don't know what's wrong. I'm really confused and I don't know why. It was just an accident, right?"

"No, I came in here to talk to you on purpose, Lucy. Why would you be asking if I came to talk to you on accident?"

"Not that, Erza. I meant that it was an accident when Natsu fell on me and kissed me, right?"

Erza cursed at herself for asking that stupid question, but she didn't let it bother her. Lucy needed consoling.

"Yes, it was an accident."

"Then why do I feel this way?!" She yelled. Erza was taken aback by Lucy's sudden hostility. Erza knew it wasn't aimed toward her, but whom was it aimed toward?

"Are you angry?" Erza asked politely.

"I don't know. I feel angry and sad, but also happy and relieved at the same time. I'm so confused! I've never felt anything like this before. I feel rejected, but at the same time, hopeful. I don't know what's going on and I don't like it!"

Erza didn't expect this. She expected Lucy to be confused, but not this much. She needed to re-evaluate the situation. "Who or what is making you feel this way?"

Lucy opened the door to the stall she was sitting in. Erza was surprised to see tears in her eyes and redness to her cheeks. She was sitting on the closed toilet seat, her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up at Erza with an expression she had never seen Lucy wear before.

"Natsu is making me feel like this. I know he didn't mean to kiss me. I know it was an accident. I know that he didn't mean anything by it. The thing that gets me is that he ran away. He looked terrified and he ran away. I saw Nyx run after him so I know that he must be feeling something. I know I'm jumping to conclusions, but what if he hates me now? What if that kiss ruined everything?"

Erza had never dealt with a situation quite like this. She knew very little about this topic, but she was determined to help Lucy. She was her friend after all. Erza was there for her.

"It didn't ruin anything, Lucy."

"How do you know?"

"I know because he is you're teammate and your friend."

Lucy looked down and put her head in her knees. Erza heard quiet sobs coming from her. After a few minutes, Lucy looked back up at her.

"I have something to tell you. Promise me you wont tell anyone."

Erza started to object, but Lucy was insistent. "Promise me! I never wanted anyone to know. I need to tell you, though."

Erza gave in. She help up her right hand to show that she was giving Lucy her word. "I swear on my honor, I won't tell ANYONE what you are about to tell me."

Lucy nodded. "Okay."

Erza waited as Lucy mustered the courage to speak her mind. Finally, she said, "I'm afraid that this accidental kiss either ruined something, or opened a door that wasn't open before."

Erza cocked her head. "I don't understand what you mean,"

Lucy sighed. "I mean, I think that I might like Natsu. LIKE like. And I don't know if what just happened ruined everything, or if it made things better. I'm so confused. I don't even know what I'm saying."

Now Erza understood. She had been expecting this for a while, now. "I see. Is this what's troubling you? That Natsu might not return your feelings?"

Lucy looked to be on the verge of a breakdown. "I don't know, okay? I don't know why I feel this way. It's so hard to explain!"

Lucy started sobbing uncontrollably. Erza wasn't really the comforting type, but she knew what to say when someone was feeling down. "Hey, Lucy. It's okay. I'm sure Natsu is confused, too. What happened out there is not that big of a deal. How about we get you home. You can get some rest and think things through. I'm sure that, by tomorrow, you'll feel a lot better. Okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Alright," she said quietly.

Erza helped Lucy out of the stall and supported her as they walked out of the bathroom. When they emerged, almost the entire guild was staring at them. Erza gave them all a deadly stare, and instantly, everyone turned away, pretending not to notice. That was one of the perks to being the strongest female wizard in the guild- everyone did what you told them to. Rarely did anyone question Erza.

Erza helped Lucy out of the guild hall. She was still shaking with sobs, but Erza could tell she was trying to b strong.

They walked in silence to Lucy's apartment. Lucy grabbed her purse to get the key to unlock her door. Once they were inside, Erza helped Lucy up the stares and onto her bed. "I assume you can take it from here?" Erza asked. Lucy nodded. "Thank you, Erza, for your help."

"It was my pleasure. I'm always glad to help a friend in need."

With that, Erza walked down the stares and out the door. Just before she shut the door to the apartment, she heard weeping coming from upstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Nyx's Perspective**

Natsu was a fast runner. Nyx had an extremely hard time catching up with him.

Nyx knew he was running towards his house to think about what just happened.

_We're in trouble. The day Natsu goes home to think is the day hell freezes over. _

It didn't take long for her to reach his house. Natsu may have been faster than her, but she ran faster than most people. In no time, she was at his front door. She could hear his heavy breathing through the door. She reached her hand out to knock, but before she could, Natsu yelled, "Come in,"

She opened the door. Nyx already knew that Natsu knew she was following him, so there was no reason to ask about it. "Hey," she said. "You alright?"

Natsu was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands. "I don't know," Natsu responded. "I just… I don't know how to explain it. You probably already know how I feel though, so there's no reason to talk about it."

Nyx shook her head. "No, you need to talk about it. I'll listen and see what I can do to help you."

Natsu sighed. Nyx knew that feelings weren't something that he talked about to anyone. Not even Happy. Nyx felt like he would talk to her, though. She was the only one who could possibly understand him perfectly.

"Alright, fine. I really don't know where to start."

"How about you start by telling me what's bothering you."

He sat there silent for a minute, trying to collect his thoughts. Finally, he found words. "I'm afraid of these feelings. It's so new to me. I've never felt anything quite like this."

Nyx nodded. "Okay. How about you tell me exactly what happened, even though I already know. Tell me what events are making you feel this way."

Because of her powers, Nyx knew exactly what to do to help a person with their feelings, even if she had never dealt with them before. She sensed that Natsu was confused about what happened, and if he went back over it, he may be able to pinpoint exactly what was making him feel this way.

"Okay, shoot." He said. "Well, I was singing on stage, which was more fun than I realized, and when I finished, I walked off the stage and fell onto Lucy on accident. When I fell on her, we accidently k…" he trailed off. It was hard for him to day it.

"Go on."

He huffed. "When I fell on her we…"

Nyx knew that he wasn't going to say it on his own. It was embarrassing for him, and rarely did anything embarrass him. Nyx looked Natsu in the eye. She drew on her magic power. Nyx gave Natsu just the little amount of courage that he needed to confess.

"When I fell on her I accidently kissed her."

Nyx knew there was more to the story. She sensed his thoughts in her head. Directly after he had stated that last sentence, he thought to himself-

_-and I liked it._

Nyx nodded. "There. That wasn't so hard. Now I realize that talking about your feelings isn't really your thing and you're not positive how to go on doing it. I assure you, that's normal."

"I'm still so confused on what's going on! I've never felt like this before. I know it was just an accident, but I can't help but feeling like it wasn't. Why do I feel this way? What is this feeling? I don't know if it's good or bad!"

Nyx smiled. He was getting somewhere. She knew exactly what was going on. "You're afraid that you're developing feelings for Lucy."

Natsu stared at her, a worried expression on his face. "I'm still so confused. I feel like what you're saying is right. But some part of me is denying it. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid."

Nyx wasn't expecting him to say that. Sure, she knew how he felt, but sometimes it was hard to predict what a person would say next. Nyx came to learn that some people would think before they spoke. That was not the case with Natsu. He spoke before his brain had a chance to realize what he was saying.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I like Lucy. A lot. I don't know why I'm afraid. Sure, I've always thought Lucy was pretty and smart and nice and sweet, but I've never felt like this about her before. When I kissed her, something woke up inside me and I don't know if I like it. We're friends and partners. I'm afraid that my feelings will get in the way of that. I know that it's normal to be attracted to someone. It's supposed to be a good thing, right? So why do I feel so confused? I should know myself better than anyone! I don't understand what's wrong with me. Why do I feel like it's a bad thing that I like Lucy?!"

Natsu was breathing hard again. He was sweating and shaking and was on the verge of tears.

_Now we're getting somewhere. Who knew that human nature would be the thing Natsu was afraid of the most._

"What you're feeling is normal. Even though you may not know it, I do. You're afraid of being rejected. You feel like Lucy won't share you're feelings."

Now there were tears in Natsu's eyes. "It's scary," he said, too quiet for any normal person to hear. She heard it plain as day. "It's scary how much more you know about me than I do."

Natsu was crying now. He wasn't sad, he was just scared and worried and angry. He was angry with himself for not noticing it before. He was worried that everyone would see him as weak because of it. He was scared of rejection.

Nyx sat there in silence as Natsu regained his composure. Nyx knew that he would feel better soon. He had come to realize why he felt the way he did. That was all he needed to know. With Natsu, he didn't like his feelings to get the better of him. He wanted to know that he had complete control over his own being. Stating his fears and confessing his affection for Lucy had helped him know himself better. Nyx could tell that he felt as though he had lost control. After talking, he had better control over himself.

Nyx was actually surprised to see him cry. From what she could tell, he never cried. Not even when there was reason to cry.

"Better?" she asked when he had finally calmed down. He looked at the floor. "Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Nyx."

"No problem. I'm here for you, Natsu, if you ever need me. We're brother and sister. We have to stick together and help each other in times of need."

Natsu looked at her, then he smiled his usual mischievous grin. He was back to his old self. "Alright. Sounds like a deal to me. Let's go back to the guild in the morning. I think it would be best for me to stay home the rest of the night.

Nyx agreed. She went over to the couch and sat down. "Well, I'm pooped. I know it's a little early, but I could use some rest." She paused. "One more thing, Natsu. When we go back to the guild, don't think that things will be different between you and Lucy. You two are still friends. Don't go crazy the next time you see her. Now is not the time to go confessing your feelings."

Natsu laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I don't think I'd be able to do it. We are still friends. There's no reason for things to get awkward."

Nyx nodded, glad to hear him say that. He didn't need to go getting all lovey-dovey on Lucy now. Tomorrow, they would be getting some important news. At the party, Nyx had sensed that Makarov had something to tell them at the utmost urgency in the morning.

"Well, g'night Nyx. Thanks again for your help." Natsu said with a yawn. He reached over and turned off the lamp that was the sole source of light in the house. "G'night," Nyx said, lying down on the couch. It took a while for her to fall asleep that night. Natsu fell asleep almost instantly. She tossed and turned, thinking about the night's events. It had only been two days sense she had met Natsu. It felt like longer than that.

Finally, Nyx started to drift off. She wasn't sure if it was a dream or not, but just before she fell asleep, she could have sworn she heard Natsu muttering in his sleep.

"Lucy…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- Natsu's Perspective**

In the morning, he felt a lot better. Everything was clearer to him now, although, some things still remained confusing. Nyx was sound asleep on the couch, a peaceful look on her face.

_Who knew that Nyx would be the one to make me feel better? I wonder where Happy is. He didn't come home last night. Maybe Nyx told him to stay at the guild. He probably would have just ended up making fun of me, though._

Natsu had gone to sleep in his clothes, so he figured that he didn't have to change. That is, until he smelt himself. "Oh, gawd. Nope, I'm changing. That's ripe."

He looked over at Nyx, who was still fast asleep, and started changing. He didn't worry about his clothes too much. As long as it was comfortable and he could fight in it, it was good enough for him.

Nyx tossed in her sleep. _Oh, crap! Please don't wake up yet! I'm not done changing!_

"Natsu, what are you… AAHHH! OH JEEZ! PUT SOME PANTS ON!"

"I'm trying! Look away please! I'm not done yet! Just look away!" He said, mortified.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Natsu finished changing his clothes as fast as he could. "Okay, you're good."

Nyx looked back slowly. "Well, I'm never going to get that image out of my head. I'm afraid of going to sleep tonight now." She said. She was smiling a painful smile. Natsu was more embarrassed than he had been in a while. "Don't tell anyone." He asked her pleadingly. "There's no reason to tell anyone. Don't you worry, I'm going to try my best to forget what just happened"

Natsu laughed. "Sorry…"

Natsu finished getting ready for the day. He never felt the need to comb his hair. Even if he did, it wouldn't be much help. No matter how hard he tried, his hair refused to go down. Not that he wanted it down.

"Ready, Natsu?" Nyx asked. All she did to get ready was brush herself off and comb her hair with her fingers. Natsu was glad that he didn't have a sister that was girly. It wouldn't be as fun.

"Yeah, Im ready. Let's go."

They walked out the door and made their way to the guild hall. "Race ya," Nyx suggested. "Is that a challenge? I'm fired up!" Natsu said. Nyx counted down. "Three, two, one, GO!"

The siblings took off, Natsu using his fire to boost himself. He sped right past Nyx and rocketed ahead. "HAHA!" he yelled. He felt the wind rush through his hair and past his face. He loved to run. It made him feel free.

_There's no way she can catch up to me. I've got too much distance on her._

After 5 minutes of sprinting, he arrived at the guild hall. Nyx was nowhere in sight. "I win! Yeah! Point, Natsu!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He decided that he would wait inside for Nyx to show up. He walked in the doors, and was astonished to see Nyx chatting up Gajeel. "Wha…" he whined, confused. Nyx must have heard him, because she turned to look at him and grinned. Gajeel had a smirk on his face.

_How did she beat me? This makes no sense! I was ahead of her._

"Hey, Natsu. It's 'bout time you showed up." Nyx taunted. Gajeel laughed. Natsu was as confused as ever. He was also angry with Gajeel for laughing. Gray walked over to him and clapped him on the back. "Slowpoke. You let your little sister beat you by a mile." He said condescendingly. This made Natsu fume. "Hey, stay out of this, Ice Princess!" He yelled furiously. Gray didn't even retort. He just pointed and laughed. Natsu stormed over to Nyx. Natsu was sure that his face was so red, even his hair would turn a darker shade of pink. "How the hell did you beat me? I was ahead of you!"

"That's what you get for taking the path. I took the shortcut. I'm not a shabby runner myself. Next time, you might want to keep track of your competition."

Natsu had no words. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Elfmen walked over to him and laughed. "That is so not manly. You let a little girl beat you in a race. Ha!"

It was Natsu's turn to laugh. Nyx's face went from content to furious the moment Elfmen called her a little girl. She stood up, balled her fist, and uppercut Elfmen in the chin. "OW! Whatcha gotta do that for, Nyx. Be a real man!"

"Don't call me little." Nyx hissed. "And, what does being a real man have anything to do with it?"

"Don't mind him." Erza was walking up to Nyx. "He's just an idiot. Now then, I have to ask, how did you like the party?"

Nyx's face lit up. "It was great! Thank you again for the wonderful gift. I left it here when I ran after Natsu. Would you mind showing me where it is so I can get it?"

Erza nodded. "Yes, I saw that you left it here. I put it in the back so no one would take it. Not that it would have been any use to anyone else, though. You're the only one who can use it, after all."

"Thank you." She said She turned to Natsu. "I'll be right back."

Gajeel hit Natsu on the shoulder. "Way to go, flame brains. You let you're little sister beat you in a race. She got here a good minute and a half before you did."

"Shut up, metal head. She probably would have beaten you, too."

Gajeel chuckled. "That may be, but at least I would have known the fastest rout to Fairy Tail."

Natsu ignited his hand and socked Gajeel in the eye. "SHUT UP! You're so annoying!"

This started an all-out guild fight. Natsu was bent on beating Gajeel to a pulp. At one point, he saw Happy come out of the back room, a sleepy look in his eye. The fight lasted until Nyx and Erza came back out. "STOP IT!" Erza yelled. Everyone stopped. Natsu was afraid of Erza's wrath. He did not want to get on her bad side. Natsu saw Nyx chuckle. She didn't seem to be afraid of Erza at all. Natsu thought that she had to know the extent of Erza's abilities. Nyx could read memories.

Natsu realized that Nyx was probably laughing because she felt the whole guild's fear at one time. Natsu was just about to yell at Erza for stopping the fight when the front door opened.

_Oh no. _

Lucy walked through the front door with a smile on her face. "Hi everybody!" She said with her usual cheery tone.

"Hi, Lucy," a few people said back. Natsu just stared in silence.

_No, no, no, no, no! Now is not the time for me to feel things. Why can't I move? Why do my knees hurt? She smells good._

Natsu cursed himself for looking stupid. Suddenly, he heard Nyx's voice inside his head. It sounded like she was talking out loud.

_"Now is not the time to make things awkward, Natsu. She's your teammate after all."_

Natsu turned around to see Nyx giving him a dangerous stare. Natsu couldn't help but notice that she avoided the word "friend" in order to spare his feelings. He silently thanked her. Then, he realized something.

_Can you hear me when I think? Does it sound like I'm talking to you? _Natsu thought, hoping that Nyx would hear.

_"Yes"_

_That is so cool._

_"Don't be stupid! She's coming your way!"_

Natsu turned around. There she was, looking at him strangely. "Are you alright, Natsu?"

Natsu meant to tell her that he was fine, but he was pretty sure that se said something along the lines of, "Um, uh, erm…yeah I… ugh."

He heard someone fox whistle in the background. Natsu wanted to slug whoever did it in the stomach. Lucy looked around, clearly ticked off at whoever whistled.

Natsu finally found words. "Hey, I'm sorry about last night. It was an accident."

Lucy smiled. "I know. It's okay Natsu. Accidents happen."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I don't want things to get awkward between us. It might get in the way of work."

Lucy laughed. "Yeah. I barely get any reward money anyway because it's always taken to repair something _you_ destroyed."

Natsu blushed, but he wasn't really sure why. He had heard the same spill on her rent money thousands of times, so why was he blushing now? He wasn't ashamed of the destruction he caused; he loved it.

_"Keep it together, Natsu. You're losing it!" _He heard Nyx say in his head.

"Okay. I'm glad that you understand," Natsu said, still blushing a little. He scratched the back of his head. He was well aware that almost the entire guild was watching them.

Out of nowhere, Master Makarov's voice boomed, "I have important news!"

Natsu smiled, glad to be finished with his confrontation with Lucy. "Hey, gramps. What's up?" he said nonchalantly.

"I have bad news. I have gotten reports that one of the dark guilds have been active. It's not just any dark guild, though. It's one of the three dark guilds in the Balam Alliance."

Natsu heard everyone gasp. He just chuckled a little. Any dark guild was no match for Fairy Tail. "Which one is it, master?" Erza said.

Makarov looked at the floor for a while before answering. "It's the Oracion Seis."

Natsu looked around at his guild members. He wondered why they looked so afraid. Natsu looked over at Nyx and saw that she was looking around as well, probably gaining as much information about the dark guild as she could.

"Then let's go beat 'em up!" Natsu yelled, igniting his hand with his fire dragon slayer magic. Makarov held up his hand.

"No. The other guild masters and I have decided that we send a group of the strongest wizards that we have on hand to go and incapacitate the Oracion Seis. Those wizards will meet up with groups of wizards from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter. These allied forces will then stop the Oracion Seis from whatever evil plan that they have in mind."

Everyone was dead silent. Macao broke the silence. "What exactly is there plan? How are they supposed to know how to stop them?"

Natsu couldn't help but notice how he said "they" like he wasn't a part of this. "I don't know what their plan is, but we must do everything in our power to stop them with whatever they may be up to." Makarov responded.

"I have already chosen the wizards that I think are fit to go on this mission."

Makarov started reciting names. "Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, and Lucy Heartfilia."

Natsu jumped with excitement. "Alright! I'm fired up! When do we leave?" He said. Then he realized, Nyx wouldn't be coming with them. She was new, and Makarov would never let a newbie go on a mission this dangerous. That didn't stop Natsu from asking, anyway.

"Why isn't Nyx going? She's powerful enough to beat Gray, so how come he's going and she isn't."

That earned him an angry stare from Gray. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"I'm sorry, but she cannot go. She is much too young to be going on a mission like this. You will have to go without her."

For some reason, this made Natsu not want to go as much. "Well, if she's not going then I'm not going."

No one expected him to say that. Natsu was known for taking every change he could get to beat some baddies. No one said a word. "What?" He said, a little confused. "She's my sister and she's new around here. A little experience won't hurt her, right?"

Makarov grunted. "Normally, I would agree with you, Natsu, but this mission is much too dangerous. She doesn't know the first thing about these people and how ruthless they can be."

Natsu laughed. Evidently, gramps had forgotten what Nyx could do. Nyx laughed too. "Hey, um, Makarov? You know that I know everything you know about them, right?" She reminded him. Makarov turned red in the face. "Oh, right. But she still can't go!"

"Ugh! C'mon please!" Nyx pleaded. "My answer is NO!" Makarov shouted back.

Nyx stopped trying to convince him. Natsu was about to protest a little more when Nyx's voice popped in his head. "_Hey, don't worry. It'll be okay."_

Natsu was defeated. He hated losing arguments. "Fine."

Lucy spoke next. "So, when do we leave, Master?"

"Right now," he said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14- Lucy's Perspective**

_I'm glad Nyx told me what she did when I walked in. It would have been ten times more awkward if she didn't._

The moment Lucy walked in the front doors, Nyx told her no act natural and not to make it awkward. She did what Nyx told her to, and she felt good that there wasn't going to be any tension between her and Natsu. Lucy couldn't get over the fact that Natsu was blushing a little, though.

And now, after everything that she's been through, she had to go on a super dangerous mission to defeat one of the most powerful dark guilds in existence.

"BLERG! Ugh, I hate travel!" Natsu yelled.

They had just gotten into the wagon that would take them to the meeting spot of the allied forces. Natsu was going to be trouble all the way there. Happy was permitted to tag along with them.

"Oh, shut it Natsu." Gray yelled unsympathetically. Erza chuckled. "He can't help it. Maybe I should knock him out the rest of the ride."

"Um, maybe that's not such a good idea, Erza." Lucy contradicted. "Last time you did that, you left him on a train."

Gray laughed, and that in turn made Lucy laugh a little too. Natsu still wasn't doing too hot.

They sat there quietly for half of the ride. Lucy was going to ask about the Oracion Seis before they heard a strange sound coming from somewhere in the wagon. It sounded like a person, but it was muffled.

"Did you guys hear that?" Lucy said. Erza and Gray both nodded. Natsu was basically dead to the world in the condition he was in. They heard it again, this time a little louder. It sounded like someone moaning.

"Check the bags," Gray said. Everyone checked their possessions for anything unusual. They found nothing.

They heard the sound again, but it was quieter now. Natsu's head suddenly turned. He smiled, but then made a face that meant he was dangerously close to barfing.

"What are you smiling about? Have you finally lost it, numbskull?"

"No…" Natsu said, straining to get words out without his stomach coming out as well. "Then why were you smiling?" Erza asked, serious. "It's… nothing… UGH I'm gonna hurl!"

What was making that sound?

There weren't many places for a person to hide in a wagon. It didn't sound like it was coming from up front. The noise sounded like it was coming from right underneath them. That's when Lucy figured it out.

"Erza, check under the bench you and Gray are sitting on. I'll look under mine."

"Good idea, Lucy." Erza said, a hint of respect in her voice.

The benches that were built into the wagon had space underneath them for storage. A person would be too big to fit in them, but someone who had a shorter stature could possibly squirm their way in.

Lucy opened the storage compartment. She found nothing. Erza checked under hers. They were quite surprised at what they saw.

Nyx was lying squished in the storage compartment. She looked green in the face, like she was sick. She was sweating and didn't look to good.

"Nyx! What do you think you are doing here?!" Erza yelled. Nyx looked too sick to answer. Lucy helped pull her out of the confined space and up onto the bench. She looked a little better when she was out, but not much. "What are you doing?" Erza questioned again.

"I… snuck… to… help… ugh!" She struggled to say. She looked like she was about to puke.

Gray laughed, not at all surprised she was here. "You get motion sick too? It must be a family thing."

Nyx nodded. Erza looked pretty pissed. "You disobeyed the master's orders and you snuck on the wagon to go on this mission. What is the master going to say when you get back? Probably nothing good."

Nyx tried to smile, but failed when the wagon lurched forward. Natsu must have felt it, also, because he let out a short moan.

_"How about I talk to you guys like this. I can't really speak at the moment," _Lucy heard Nyx say in her mind. Natsu looked like he was trying to say something, but he gave up. _"Natsu says that he's glad I came along." _

Erza suddenly got a furious look in her eye. "Did you know she was coming?" she yelled at Natsu. He nodded. Lucy felt like she was left in the dark. "Wait, did you two plan this?"

Natsu nodded again.

"You two are going to be in for it when we get back." Erza said, now with a much calmer demeanor. _"Wait, you're not taking me back?"_ Nyx questioned. "There'd be no point. We are almost there and we are needed now. If we go back, we may miss something and the Oracion Seis will be even more ahead."

For some reason, Lucy felt relieved. She was kind of glad that Nyx was coming. Even though she was younger than anyone here, she was super strong and smart. This could give them an advantage if no one knew what her power was.

_"Thanks, Lucy. That means a lot," _She heard Nyx say in her mind. Lucy got the feeling that she was only speaking to her now. _"That's actually a good idea. If none of our enemies knew what my magic was, I could be a really big help. I would know their every move."_

Lucy was pleased. Then, a thought occurred to her. She decided not to say it out loud, but only to Nyx. _Do you just sit around listening to people's thoughts? That's a major invasion of privacy._

"_No, actually. I hear your thoughts in my brain as if you were speaking out loud. I can't really help it. The closer you are to me, the louder I can hear them. When im around a lot of people, its like everyone is talking at one time and it's hard to distinguish between thoughts. Think of it like, everyone in the guild hall talking at one time. You can't hear a distinguished voice unless someone is sitting right next to you. Because there are only five of us, I can hear each of your thoughts as if you were talking. I can't really do anything about it. Sorry."_

Lucy understood. She would have to learn not to daydream when Nyx was around. She thought up some pretty weird stuff.

The wagon stopped moving.

Nyx and Natsu both sat up in perfect synchronization. "WE STOPPED MOVING!" They both yelled. Natsu jumped right out of the car and started dancing around with Happy. Nyx was about to do the same, when she stopped. She went down to her previous hiding spot and reached inside. Lucy was wondering what she could possibly be getting when Nyx pulled out the bow and arrows that she got for her birthday. "I almost forgot. I brought my bow so I could help a little more."

Lucy still couldn't get over how beautiful the weapon was. Nyx slung the quiver full of arrows over her back and jumped out of the wagon. "Sweet ground," She mumbled. Erza jumped out next, and Gray right after. Lucy was the last to get out. The wagon driver hollered to them. "I won't be back to pick out up, sorry." He said. "No worries, we have arrangements made to get up back to Magnolia." Erza said. Natsu was still dancing around, glad to finally get off of the wagon.

Lucy wondered if Natsu had noticed that Nyx brought the bow. She knew that he was itching to see it in action.

The driver had dropped them off in front of a building that looked out of place in the middle of the forest.

_This must be the meeting place of the Allied Forces. It's kind of cute, actually._

Gray and Erza were already walking towards the building. Nyx stopped them. "Hey, I haven't tried out my new bow yet. Wanna see how it does?" She asked them. Natsu finally turned around. "You brought your bow? Cool! I wanna see it!" He yelled excitedly.

"Yeah, sure. Let's see how good of a shot you are." Gray said.

Nyx nodded. She drew an arrow out of her quiver and knocked it with ease. She pulled back on the string and took aim. Lucy was amazed how she held the bow like it was a part of her own body.

'What are you aiming at?" Lucy asked.

"You'll see," she said. Nyx stood there for ten seconds before she released her arrow. It shot into the woods. Lucy wasn't sure what she had hit, or what she was even trying to hit. "Follow me," Nyx said.

Nyx walked towards the direction she had fired. They walked for what seemed like forever until they finally saw Nyx's arrow stuck in a tree trunk. "Nice shot," Erza said. "Hold on, there's more," Nyx said back. Lucy wondered what more she could have possibly shot. As they got closer to the arrow, Lucy finally saw what Nyx was talking about. Gray, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all gasped at the same time. Pinned by the arrow was a moth no bigger than a quarter. It's wings were pierced by the arrow, but it remained alive, wriggling and squirming to get free.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15- Gray's Perspective**

_Note to self- never get on Nyx's bad side._

Nyx had shot a moth with an arrow without killing it. That was some dangerous accuracy. Even Erza seemed to be at a loss for words. Natsu was just as dumbfounded.

"Whoa," Natsu said quietly. He suddenly got much louder. "That was so awesome!" He yelled. "You gotta show me how to do that."

"You don't have the patience, Natsu." Nyx retorted. Gray could tell that she didn't want to have to sit through an archery lesson with Natsu. Gray was still at a loss for words. Finally, he said, "How did you do that? How did you even see the moth? It was too far away to see."

Nyx shook her head, and then she tapped the skin right next to her eyes. "I have heightened vision. I could see the moth as clearly from that distance as you could see it three feet away from you."

Erza spoke next. "That's impressive, Nyx. I didn't realize that you were this skilled with a bow. How long have you been practicing."

Nyx thought for a second. "As long as I can remember. Frank would go outside with me and would teach me to shoot. I was really young when he died and I didn't really learn much. After he passed, I went outside every day and practiced my archery. It was one of the only things I did in my spare time. It took a while for me to get any good at it, but by the time I was nine, I could hit the bulls-eye on a target seven times out of ten. I wanted to improve and be the best I could be at it. When Mary died and I went on my quest, I brought my bow with me to hunt for animals. About a month before I found you, some kid came out of nowhere while I was sleeping and snapped my bow in half. I didn't have time to stop him because I was asleep. I only woke up because I heard it break in two."

This made Gray furious. He hated when people were cruel for the sake of being cruel. "Who was the kid?" he asked.

"It was someone that I beat in a fight in the town I was in at the time. I don't really know whom. He was really mad when I beat him. He was a good six years older than me. It didn't sit too well with him." She said flatly. Gray could tell that she hated the kid just by the way she spoke of him.

"Well, now you have the chance to keep practicing, not that you need much more practice." Erza stated. "We better get inside the rendezvous point. Everyone will be showing up soon."

They walked inside the building. It was a large, pink house with white trimming. It looked kind of like a dollhouse. Gray had no desire to go inside of that fluffy pink monstrosity. Nevertheless, he went in along with everyone else. It was dark inside. There were statues of Pegasus with horns on either side of the large front room.

"Yes, they're here at last!" a voice said.

"At last" two others joined in.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," the first voice chanted. The other two voices echoed the first.

"Hello,"

"Hello,"

"Fairy,"

"Fairy,"

"Tail,"

"Tail,"

"WIZARDS!" They all said at the same time. A spotlight appeared out of nowhere and shown down on the silhouette of three men. They looked young.

"We're so glad you came!" They said in unison. "We are the Blue Pegasus elite crew, the Trimens!"

"Hundred Knight, Hibiki" The first boy said. He had pale orange hair and extremely long eyelashes.

"Holy Knight, Eve" the second boy said. He had short, blonde hair and looked significantly younger and shorter than the other two.

"Still Knight, Ren" the third one said. His skin was darker, with darker hair as well. Gray already didn't like them.

"Whoa," Lucy said, blushing a little. "The Trimens from Blue Pegasus? That is way cool! They're near the top of the most eligible wizard bachelor's list!"

Gray suddenly felt self-confident around these three. He knew it was silly, but he couldn't help it. He noticed that he had his shirt off. He didn't remember taking it off. "I feel underdressed!" Gray yelled. Gray noticed Nyx muttering something to Erza.

"I've heard tails of your beauty," Hibiki said to Erza. "and they're true."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Titania" Eve said. What were with these guys? The better not mess with Erza, or they're going to be in a world of hurt soon.

The three boys started paying a little too much attention to Erza. They lead her to a couch with a coffee table in front of it. Gray could no longer hear what they were saying, but Erza looked pretty uncomfortable. Suddenly, Ren took a hold of Lucy. "Wow, you're almost _too _cute," he said to her. Lucy looked uncomfortable as well. Natsu instantly looked angrier, and a little jealous even. Gray smiled a little, knowing full well that Natsu was not happy with that weirdo touching Lucy. They took her to the same couch Erza was on and paid vey close attention to her as well. They looked to be trying to seduce them, but Gray could tell it wasn't working. It was creepy, even from where he was standing.

Eve was about to go over to talk to Nyx, probably to take her to the couch too, but Gray predicted what might happen, and he was right. Nyx probably knew what Eve was coming to do, so she slapped him across the face. "No way, perv. You are not coming anywhere near me."

At least Nyx had the guts to do that.

"Oh miss, but please. Let me assist you. You must have had a long journey here, and it would be my pleasure to help someone as beautiful as you."

"You are so fake." Nyx said. "Do girls really fall for that kind of stuff?"

"But miss, why would you say something like that? Surely plenty of boys have admired…" he was cut off my another slap to the face. Eve didn't look mad, just a little surprised. Gray respected Nyx even more.

"What is up with them?" Gray asked Natsu. "I don't know, but I don't like 'em," Natsu answered.

"You ladies must be exhausted. Feel free to spend the night. We don't mind." They all said at the same time. Gray noticed that they seem to sparkle. Lucy and Erza looked confused, and Nyx looked disgusted. Natsu also looked confused, and Gray knew where Nyx was coming from.

_Are these wanna be playboys a joke or something? They can't possibly be art of the allied forces. Can they?_

Suddenly, a new voice came from the top of the stairs. "Calm down, men. Give these ladies some breathing room."

A short, red-haired man with a gigantic cleft chin walked down the stairs. Gray personally thought that he looked like he'd had so much plastic surgery that he started to look plastic. His voice was smooth, though, which didn't fit his face. Gray almost threw up, and Natsu and Nyx seemed to look like they were, too.

"Oh no, not him," Erza said.

"It's been far too long, miss Scarlet," the man said.

"A long time, yes. I never expected to see you here," she said. For once in her life, Erza looked nervous.

"Oh, how I've missed you, my sweet honey, but don't cry, im right here." he said. He also seemed to sparkle. Gray wanted to leave right there.

"My sweet honey!" Lucy and happy yelled. Gray noticed that Erza was shaking even more now. Gray decided to stop listening for the moment. Nyx went over to Gray and Natsu. She didn't look like she wanted anything to do with those creeps. "What is with those guys? They're so creepy." Gray said. Nyx looked over at them with disgust. "The weird guy that just showed up is named Ichiya. He's the leader of the other three. They're a bunch of creeps, but the info I gathered off of them leads me to believe that they are a capable group, when they're not trying to get with every girl they happen to come across."

The front doors of the house slammed open. Two wizards walked in. One was a girl with magenta hair and heavy makeup. The second was a white-haired wizard that Gray recognized. "Lyon," he said with hatred in his voice. Was Lyon part of a guild now?

"Gray Fullbuster? I didn't expect to see you here."

"What are you doing here, Lyon?" Gray demanded.

"I'm here as one of Lamia Scale's representatives. Sherry here is with me."

"We got a score to settle. Let's finish this, right here, right now."

"Fine by me. You know you're going to loose, Gray."

The two boys got in a fighting stance. Natsu's eyes lit up. "If there's a fight, count me in!" He said.

They were all about to throw down when another wizard walked through the door. He was extremely tall and muscular. His head was bald and he looked to have green scales painted on his arms. He held a large red staff in his left hand.

"This is not the time to be fighting. We have important business to take care of," he said. There was an air of authority in his voice.

"Yes, Jura." Lyon said.

Wow. Lyon never took orders from anyone accept Ur for as far as Gray could remember. This guy must be good.

"Wait, Jura Neekis? One of the 10 wizard saints!" Erza said. "It is an honor to meet you, sir."

"It is an honor to meet you as well, Erza Scarlet. I assume that we are all here?"

"No," Ichiya said. "The member from Cait Shelter has yet to arrive, man." Gray wondered why they were. Then, he realized what Ichiya had said. "Wait, member? Are they only sending one person?"

Ichiya nodded, adding in a few idiotic poses.

"How intense is this guy going to be?" Lucy murmured. At that moment, Gray heard a noise, like someone tripping to the ground and yelling. "Ow," a girl's voice said. Everyone turned around to find a girl with blue hair on the ground, trying to pick herself up. She looked to be around 12 or 13 years old, not much younger than Nyx.

"Hi, my name is Wendy Marvell. I'm from the Cait Shelter guild. I know that I'm young and you don't think I can help you, but I know tons of support magic! So please, let me join your group. I promise I'll help in any way that I can."

Another new voice came from outside the door. "You'll never gain their respect if you talk to them that way, child. I swear, you're going to drive me to catnip."

It was a white cat in a pink and red outfit. The cat strolled up to Wendy and looked disappointed. "Carla! What are you doing here?" Wendy exclaimed. Carla the cat made a "Humph," noise and then said exasperatedly, "I followed you here, of coarse. I wouldn't allow you to go anywhere alone. You're far too young."

"Whoa," Natsu said. "She's just like Happy!"

Happy seemed to notice this, too. "Oh, my," he whispered. "She's a vision!"

Gray heard Nyx chuckle, no doubt at Happy. The little blue cat cantered over to the white one, little hearts in his eyes. He started talking to her, but Gray couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

Erza walked over to Wendy. "It's nice to meet you, Wendy. We are glad to have you in our company."

Wendy smiled, obviously relieved. Gray wondered what kind of support magic that she possessed. He turned to everyone else, trying to decide what everyone thought of her. Nyx seemed to be scrutinizing her to get a good feel of her. Suddenly, Nyx's eyes went wide, like she found something extremely interesting about her. Gray was itching to know what it was. Natsu and Lucy also seemed to notice Nyx. Everyone else was focused on the little girl.

Gray thought he might be able to catch Nyx's attention by calling her name in his mind. _Hey, Nyx. Nyx!_

She looked angrily towards him. _"What? I'm in the middle of something here."_

_What's so special about Wendy?_

_"How did you know something was special about her?"_

_Your face kind of gives it away._

Nyx blushed. Natsu now wore the same expression that Nyx did a second ago. She must have already told him about Wendy. _"She possesses extremely powerful magical abilities. She's a Sky Dragon Slayer,"_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16- Erza's Perspective**

Erza didn't expect the representative from Cait Shelter to be so, well, young. Erza turned back to everyone else to see what their reactions were. Nyx, Natsu, and Gray all had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

_What is so special about this girl that would make those three express such surprise. They must know something that I don't. Lucy doesn't seem surprised, so im sure she doesn't know. I do not like being left in the dark._

Erza started when she heard Nyx's voice in her mind. _"Wendy's a Sky Dragon Slayer!"_

Whoa

Erza turned back towards Wendy with newfound interest. Wendy looked uncomfortable with Erza staring at her like that. "Um, miss, why are you looking at me like that? I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but I feel really self conscious with everybody looking at me."

Erza softened her expression. "I'm sorry, Wendy. My name is Erza. I had just found out from our friend Nyx over there what powers you possess. Is it true that you are a Sky Dragon slayer?"

Wendy looked shocked. "But, how did you know!? I never told you guys."

Erza didn't want everybody to know Nyx's abilities yet, so she made her explanation as vague as possible. "Let's just say that our friend Nyx can tell what magic abilities one possesses."

"Oh, okay then. I guess that makes sense," Wendy said, relieved.

The Trimens all walked up to Wendy and Erza. "You're going to be beautiful when you grow up, miss Wendy," Eve said. Then, Ren muttered, "It looks like Hibiki doesn't want to wait."

Hibiki was pulling Wendy over to the couch that they had Erza on earlier. "Would you like to freshen up?" Hibiki asked politely. "Um, please help me!" Wendy whimpered.

"Now that we are all here," Jura started, "I think it is high time for the members of Blue Pegasus what our mission is all about."

"Right, men!" Ichiya yelled. "Clean this place up so we can explain the location of the Oracion Seis!"

Ichiya and the Trimens all nodded at the same time. Erza was creeped out by all of them, by Ichiya in particular. The way that he always wanted to smell her made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Well then, men, lets explain." Ichiya said, posing right after his sentence.

Hibiki pulled up a screen out of nowhere. It seemed that he was typing something on it. Suddenly, six pictures of different people appeared, floating in the air.

"That's archive magic, isn't it?" Jura asked.

"Mm hm," Hibiki murmured. "These are the pictures that we have of the Oracion Seis. Don't ask where we got them."

"Hold on, men" Ichiya said. "Wait to finish explaining. I need to go make a letter of the alphabet."

Ichiya scooted to the side, then rushed in the direction of the nearest bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned, as creepy as ever.

"Now then, continue, men."

"Yes, Ichiya sir." Hibiki said. Nyx walked closer to the front of the group. Erza wasn't really sure why.

_"Don't look startled when I tell you this," _Erza heard Nyx's voice. _All right, _Erza thought. _"That's not Ichiya."_

Erza did as Nyx old and didn't let the news change her expression. _What do you mean? _

"_I mean, that's an imposter. It was the real Ichiya before he went to the bathroom, but that's not him."_

This was news to Erza. Who could have infiltrated their group so quickly? Maybe the Oracion Seis knew that they were planning to defeat them.

"These six people make up one of the most powerful dark guilds out there," Hibiki continued.

"Can I have a closer look?" Nyx asked. Erza knew what she was up to and decided to play along. "Yes, I would like a closer look at them, too." Erza said casually.

"Anything for you ladies," Hibiki said with a wink.

Nyx was already at the picture nearest to Ichiya, or, the Ichiya imposter. The picture showed a sleeping man sitting on what looked to be a flying magic carpet. He had black hair and a long earring in one ear. His head was down, so his facial features could not be seen.

"_NOW!" _Nyx hollered to her. Erza re-quipped into her heaven's wheel armor. Nyx got behind Ichiya and put her fingers behind his neck, probably getting ready to knock him out if it came to it. "Who are you?" Nyx questioned the imposter. "I don't know what you mean! I am Ichiya. You have already been introduced to me! I am not an enemy, so why must you act like I am one!"

"You aren't Ichiya," Nyx said. Erza had her swords at the imposter's throat.

"What are you doing, Erza. Have you gone insane?!" Gray shouted, clearly confused.

"Nyx, c'mon. I know this guy isn't really the kind of person you wanna hang around, but you don't got to attack him!" Natsu hollered.

Erza ignored them, and Nyx did the same. "I'll ask again, who are you?" Nyx had a dangerous edge to her voice.

Erza was confused. _Can't you just look into his memories and see who it is?_

_"I would if I could, but for some reason I cant. It's all fuzzy. I can't tell who it is. All I know is that it's not Ichiya." _Nyx replied.

Ichiya's imposter let out an evil grin. He started to turn to attack Nyx, but Nyx was quicker. With a quick jab to the back of the neck, the imposter was out cold. He fell to the ground, letting out an involuntary moan.

"What is wrong with you two!?" all three Trimens asked at the same time. Before Erza or Nyx could respond, Ichiya started to transform. In seconds, what used to be Ichiya turned into two little people with a blue tint to their skin. They looked like twins, and they didn't seem to be human. Both of the little creatures were unconscious.

"Their spirits!" Lucy exclaimed. "They don't look like any spirits that I've seen before, though."

Nyx walked up to the little sleeping spirits. She seemed to be looking for something. At last, Nyx stood up with the verdict. "I looked for any information I could find, but all I could see was a name. It seems that they are one being, not two. Their name is Gemini."

Lucy suddenly looked even more excited. "That's a zodiac spirit!" I wonder why they were trying to impersonate Ichiya."

"Wait, so lemme get this straight." Natsu said. "That weird creep was really a spirit?"

"No, stupid" Lyon responded condescendingly. "This spirit transformed into a copy of Ichiya. The real Ichiya is still probably in the bathroom."

"We apologies for yelling at you, miss Nyx. We didn't realize." Hibiki, Eve, and Ren said.

"Apology accepted. I'm going to assume that this spirit is working for the Oracion Seis."

"You may be correct," Hibiki said. He enlarged the photo of a woman dressed in white clothing trimmed with feathers. "This woman here calls herself Angel. She is a celestial spirit, and a very powerful one at that. This spirit is most likely hers that she sent to gain information off of us. Now that they are unconscious, they wont be able to report anything. Good work, Nyx and Erza."

Everyone stared silently at the two little twins lying on the floor. In an instant, they shimmered and disappeared.

"Whoa, their gone!" Sherry yelled.

"Well, yeah. They probably went back into the celestial world to regain their strength." Lucy said.

Gray looked less confused now, but Natsu still looked like he didn't understand. His expression told everyone that his little brain wasn't following. "We'll explain it to you later, Natsu," Erza said with a chuckle. Nyx and Lucy laughed too. Gray just kind of stood there and smirked.

"How about you three finish explaining the plan, then we will go get Ichiya. He already knows, doesn't he?"

The Trimens nodded. "Alright," Hibiki started, "Here's the plan. But first, I'm going to have to explain who each of the members are."

Hibiki enlarged the first picture. "This is the leader, Brain. We don't know exactly what kind of magic he uses, but he is extremely powerful. Be extremely cautious if you engage him in battle." The man in the picture had black lines painted all across his darker skin. His hair was long and white. He wore a white coat that exposed his bare chest. Thick black trimming lined the coat.

"This next picture is of a man called Hoteye. He uses earth magic. He is willing to kill anyone, as long as the price is right.." Hoteye had extremely long, orange hair and an unusually polygonal face. His eyes were closed and had a grin planted on his face. He was holding wads of cash.

"This guy kills for money? That's terrible!" Sherry yelled. "Makes me sick," Jura added.

"This next member is Cobra. He has a giant pet snake that can fly. We don't know what his powers are, but we do know that e is extremely dangerous." This man had very tan skin, with spiky crimson hair. He wore a white coat with a blue undershirt and red pants. He was riding a huge, purple snake.

Natsu looked at the picture with hatred. "Beady eyes and a mischievous smirk. Looks like trouble to me."

"Look who's talking," Gray said, exasperated.

"Next is a wizard who, judging by his name, uses speed magic. This is Racer." This man had spiky yellow hair, wore sunglasses, and had an unbelievably sharp nose. He was smiling like he was ready for a fight at any time.

"The next member is such a mystery, the only thing we know about him is his name. Midnight." It was the boy sleeping on the carpet.

There were no other pictures to be discussed. "That just about does it for the Oracion Seis. Now, we get to the plan." Hibiki said. "Just to the North of here lies a forest, where an ancient civilization sealed away an incredibly powerful magic. Its name is Nirvana."

"I've never heard of it." Erza said. "Neither have I," said Lucy. No one else said anything, so Hibiki continued. "This magic is incredibly powerful, and we believe that the Oracion Seis is planning on unsealing this magic and using it for themselves."

Eve and Ren joined Hibiki in stating the next sentence. "We are on a mission to destroy Nirvana before they can use it!"

"Okay then," Lyon started. "How are we supposed to do that? We don't know where Nirvana is, let alone how to destroy it. How do we destroy a type of magic?"

"I honestly don't know, but I'm hoping we will find out when the time is right." Hibiki answered. No one liked that answer.

"So, how do we beat these losers?" Natsu asked. He lit his hand on fire, like he usually does when he was excited.

"We split up into teams of two and try to take them one at a time. If you can help it, do not engage with more than one of them in battle. You will surely lose."

"Alright, I'm fired up!" Natsu yelled. He started running for the door, but stopped suddenly in his tracks. Erza figured that Nyx had something to do with it, because there was no one else that could have stopped him. "You're right, Nyx," he said. "We have to get Ichiya. I may not like him, but right now, he's part of our team."

_Holy crap. Did Natsu really just stop running towards a fight to go help Ichiya? Nyx must be an excellent influence on him. He's never listened to anyone like that before. That's incredible!_

The Trimens all stood up and walked towards the bathroom that Ichiya was probably in. A few minutes later, they walked back out with him, battered and bruised. Those spirits must have been super strong. Ichiya may not have been fun to hang around, but he was a talented wizard.

"Thank you, men," Ichiya stammered. "Now, let us explain the plan!"

"Um, Ichiya sir, we've already explained it to them."

"MEN! All right then, are we clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then let's go!" Natsu hollored.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17- Nyx's Perspective**

All fifteen of them headed off in search of the Oracion Seis. Nyx's magic had saved them from a problem that would surely would have come back to bite their butts. Nyx couldn't sense the Oracion Seis anywhere nearby, but she had never met them before. It was always difficult to know where someone is if you've never sensed their presence.

Nyx sensed the nervous emotions of everyone around her. Everyone minus Natsu- he was more eager than nervous.

Earlier in the wagon, when Nyx was telling Lucy how her powers worked, she fibbed a little. Yes, it was true that Nyx could sense the thoughts and feeling of the people around her as if they were speaking, but she only heard them if she wanted too.

Nyx took her bow off of her back and held it in her hand, prepared to use it if necessary. She loved her new bow; it felt good to finally be able to use one again.

The group had been running for ten minutes before anything happened. The ground underneath them suddenly seemed to give way, and became softer. "Oh, the power of money! Oh yeah!" she heard from behind. Nyx and everyone else turned around. There stood the Oracion Seis. The man who had spoken was Hoteye, the earth magic user.

"These chumps really think they can beat us?" A girl in white said. It was Angel, the celestial wizard.

"Heheheh, like they even have a chance. I'll beat them so fast, they wont even see it," said a man with a pointy nose. It was racer, and Nyx saw that he indeed used speed magic.

"I can hear it. The sweat beading off of their brows. The trembling of their bodies. It's like a symphony," said a man with spiky hair next to a giant snake. It was Cobra. Nyx never learned what kind of magic he used, so she took this as an opportunity to look. Nyx started to look through Cobra's memories. According to him, he had exceptionally good hearing and could even hear people's inner voice.

_Oh crap. Can he hear me right now?_

Nyx read his thoughts and saw that he wasn't paying her any attention. He didn't think that she was a threat at all. What use was a little girl with pink hair, he thought. That made Nyx mad, but she held back her emotions. Cobra had an ability that was similar to Nyx's, but not quite. For Cobra to hear, the person had to be thinking. Nyx could tell a person's thoughts and access memories even if they weren't thinking about them. That gave her an advantage. She continued searching for information. Apparently, Cobra was a slave in the tower of heaven, just like Erza. His only real friend had been that snake, whose name was Cubellios. After he had escaped the tower of heaven, he joined the Oracion Seis, who all had been slaves there as well. The magic he used was…

Oh no. Not another Dragon Slayer. A Poison Dragon Slayer. He wasn't a true Dragon Slayer, though. He had a lacrima implanted in his body that let him use Dragon Slayer Magic. He would be tough to beat.

"You fools are here to try to stop us, is that correct?" a man with a staff asked. It was brain, the leader of the Oracion Seis. Nyx looked for any information on his magic, but it was more difficult than she had thought. Brain used some kind of archive magic, but it was different than Hibiki's. It was darker, more dangerous and evil. Brain was, as his name entailed, the brains of the Oracion Seis. He planned to use Nirvana for himself. According to Brain, Nirvana could switch light to darkness!

The last member of the dark guild hadn't spoken. It was midnight, asleep on his magic carpet. Nyx, who had a pretty good sense of hearing herself, could hear his snoring from where she stood. She tried to get a read on him, but for some reason, she couldn't access his memories. It might have been because he was sleeping.

Just looking through all those memories took quite a bit of magic energy, but Nyx still had plenty left.

"We know you're plan to use Nirvana!" Erza shouted.

"We know," brain said back.

"Enough talk, let's fight!" Natsu hollered. He immediately went after racer, the closest one to him. "You're not fast enough, punk," Racer laughed. Instantly, Racer was behind Natsu. Racer hit him square in the back with his knee, sending him flying. Natsu landed a few yards away, clearly surprised at the speed racer possessed. Nyx sensed that none of the Oracion Seis was paying attention to her. That was one of the perks to being smaller; no one seemed to notice the threat you may pose.

Nyx looked into racer's memory to see if he had any weaknesses. Nyx looked for a couple of seconds, but couldn't find anything. Then, she came across something that surprised her. Racer was not fast at all. He was just altering everyone's perception of speed, making them slower. Racer was the only one not affected by it, so he was a thousand times faster.

_At least I know how his magic works. Beating him is a different story._

The next to join the fight was Gray. He joined Natsu in the battle against racer. Up next were the Trimens and Ichiya. They all went straight for Angel. There was no doubt in Nyx's mind, they thought she was cute. They went to go try to seduce her before attacking. Nyx wanted to throw up right there.

With two of the members engaged, there were four left. Wendy was cowering behind a rock. It was all right, though. Nyx knew that Wendy knew no attack magic, only support magic.

Lyon, Sherry, and Jura stepped into the fight. They went to take down Hoteye. Jura started by creating rock pillars, designed to be sent flying at an opponent, but Hoteye quickly melted them with his earth magic. Lyon and Sherry were ready to help.

Erza went to engage Cobra in battle. Nyx wasn't sure who would be the victor in that fight. Erza's battle skills far surpassed that of Cobra's, as far as Nyx could tell, but Cobra would know her every move and dodge it easily. Nyx guessed that this fight would end when one resorted to trickery.

The only members left were Midnight and Brain. Nyx didn't think that Midnight would wake up anytime soon, but Brain was ready to fight. Lucy summoned Taurus, meaning for him to attack brain. Happy was ready to help Lucy with Brain. Wendy was still frightened. Nyx decided that she would help Lucy as well, when she realized something. Nyx sensed that Brain had no intention of fighting. He was one hundred percent certain that those four would take the Allied Forces down. Nyx decided to leave him alone.

She looked around for who needed help the most. Erza was fairing poorly against Cobra. Natsu and Gray weren't doing to hot, either. Jura, Lyon, and Sherry were evenly matched with Hoteye. However, the group doing the worst was Ichiya and his men. All four of them were lying on the ground, either unconscious or about to be. Angel was laughing as she held a huge gray weapon in her hands. It seemed to be a spirit of some kind. Nyx decided that she would have to take angel on by herself. Nyx ran over to her, taking an arrow out of her quiver and drawing her bow back. She aimed right at Angel's face. Angel just laughed.

"Oh, the little girl thinks she can beat me. How silly. Open, gate of the twins, Gemini!" she yelled.

Two little spirits popped out of thin air. They were waving their arms and legs in perfect synchronization.

"Gemini, take care of her for me."

They obeyed their master's wishes and started to transform. Before her vary eyes, Nyx saw the twins turn into the one person she never wished to really fight.

Angel was going to make Nyx fight her brother.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18- Nyx's Perspective**

_That's not cool. I know its not really Natsu, but still!_

Nyx was face to face with a copy of her brother. Gemini had probably turned into him just to make her hesitant.

_It's not Natsu. It's just a spirit. It's not really him. I have to fight him. I can do this. Don't think twice._

"It's clear that you never wanted to engage your brother in combat. How do I know he's your brother? I have all of Natsu's memories and abilities. I know everything that Natsu knows about you. It's surprising how much he understands, given how dense he is."

That made Nyx mad. This was an exact copy of Natsu. Gemini would know exactly what she could do.

_Crap. I don't know if I can beat him. Natsu is fast and extremely strong._

Nyx started to look through Gemini's brain to see if there was anything she could use against them. Just like when she looked through their mind before, it was fuzzy and unclear. Nyx could find very little information. She wondered if it was because it was a spirit, not an actual person. To make things worse, she couldn't sense Gemini's thoughts, either. Nyx was going to have to rely on her eyes and ears to predict Natsu's… no… the _spirit's_ movements.

Nyx did know one thing, though. Gemini would be using Natsu's technique and battle style. Usually, Natsu's go to would be a head on attack with little strategy. That was something she could use.

"You look scared. Funny. According to Natsu, you aren't afraid of a fight. I guess he was wrong about that."

Nyx took aim with her arrow, directly at Gemini's heart when Gemini said, "Aw, Nyx. I'm your brother and you love me. You wouldn't kill me, right?" That caught Nyx off guard

Nyx did her best to stand firm, but this spirit was freaking her out. "You are NOT my brother!" Nyx said. She was about to send the arrow straight through his chest, but she just couldn't. Nyx knew full well that this was an imposter, so why couldn't she do it?

"Heh. You are weak." Angel said. "This will be great entertainment for me!"

Gemini jumped into the air and lit his hand on fire, just like Natsu. He gave Nyx a wicked grin that was very un-Natsu like. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted. In an instant, Natsu's clone sped towards Nyx with incredible speed. In that instant, Nyx used her sharp eyes to see and predict where Natsu would strike. She heard the wind run past the spirit's body as he was coming down at her. Nyx predicted that, by the position of his body, he was going to hit her in the stomach, his fist coming from her left side.

Nyx dove left, dodging the attack by mere inches. She felt the heat from the fire coming off of Gemini's hand. It didn't burn her, but it came extremely close to. Gemini looked impressed. "You dodged it. That is impressive. But let's see how you fair against the rest of his attacks."

And so, Nyx and Gemini were locked in a deadly dance. The spirit would assault her with an onslaught of Natsu's attacks, each one more powerful than the last. Nyx was barely able to dodge them, and even then, the edges of the fire still scorched her clothes and some of her skin. Gemini was not holding back. Nyx tried her best to draw her bow again, but Gemini never gave her the time. She only needed five seconds to have an arrow knocked. She didn't have five seconds, though.

"You are skilled at running away, Nyx. Are you having trouble?" Gemini said with Natsu's voice. Nyx was sick of this spirit using her brother's body to fight.

_Wait, maybe I can just knock him out! That way I wouldn't have to fight him._

Gemini seemed to know that, sooner or later, she would resort to that tactic. He laughed, "I know what you're planning to do. Natsu knows that you know about a spot on the neck that will knock you out. You aren't going to get close enough to reach it, though."

With that said, Gemini lit Natsu's body on fire. Nyx used that time to draw her bow. That little speech Gemini gave was not very long, but was just enough time for Nyx to knock an arrow. She pointed it right at his heart. Gemini stopped laughing. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I dare." Nyx retorted. She mustered up all of her courage and loosed the arrow. It went flying at Gemini with insane speed. Nyx took the advice that Erza gave her and put some of her magic energy behind it to make the arrow fly faster. Just like Erza said, fly faster it did. Natsu was quick, though. He moved to one side right before the arrow hit him. Instead of going through his chest, the magic arrow caught him in the shoulder. At least she hit him.

"You fool, you still think you can beat me? A little shoulder wound won't do you any good. Natsu is still more powerful than you." He took the bloody arrow out of his shoulder and tried to snap it in half. It didn't break. Nyx laughed and summoned the arrow back into her quiver. The arrow had cleaned itself. Good, though Nyx. Now she wouldn't have to clean Natsu's blood off of it.

Gemini no longer spent time on talking. Nyx cursed herself. She was losing this fight. The spirit moved with even greater speed than before, realizing that Nyx could indeed hurt him. Although, Nyx noticed that he did not use his injured arm. It probably pained him. Right now, that was his only weakness.

Nyx put all of her effort into hitting his injury. It was a cheap move, but right now, Nyx didn't care. She needed to win this for her friends. Gemini laughed at her attempts to kick at his wound. He set himself on fire so Nyx couldn't touch him without getting burned herself.

_Damn it. I can't hit him! This isn't good. I'll just have to dodge his attacks for now. _

Gemini continued to push Nyx to the limit of her abilities. She was out of options, accept for one. Nyx had to go to the last resort. She mustered up some of her remaining magic power and focused it on Gemini's emotions. She couldn't reach them. Maybe, she thought, she could reach Natsu's emotions instead of the spirits.

Nyx looked through Gemini's mind, trying to find Natsu's. If this really was an exact copy of him, that means his thoughts and feelings were in there, too. The only bad part was, she had to concentrate to find it. Gemini was still raining Natsu's attacks down on her. It was hard to search his mind when she had to focus on his attacks.

She decided to search a little harder. That was a bad idea.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Gemini hollered. He jumped into the air, and a huge ball of fire appeared in his hands. He sent it hurdling towards Nyx.

Nyx wasn't fast enough.

She tried to dodge, but was still caught in the middle of the attack. Nyx was engulfed in a ball of light. Bursts of pain shot through her body, burning every square inch of exposed skin. Nyx couldn't concentrate on anything but the pain she was in. She felt herself losing conciseness. Her vision went blurry as the pain seared through her very being. Black spots appeared in her sight.

The ball of light dissipated and Nyx was left there, alone, barely breathing. She was still conscious, but barely. She lay there on the ground, still feeling like she was engulfed in flames. Nothing mattered to her anymore. She just wanted the pain to stop. In the corner of her mind, she heard Gemini laugh. "You are weak. That was almost too easy." He transformed back into the two twins and disappeared back into the spirit world.

"Ha, that was fun!" Angel yelled. She chuckled evilly as Nyx's conciseness started to slip. She barely heard the real Natsu yell her name before she faded into unconsciousness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19- Natsu's Perspective**

"NYX!" Natsu ran towards his little sister, who was lying on the ground, burned and unconscious. That devil that calls herself Angel must have summoned that copycat spirit. That's the only way that Natsu could have just seen himself take down his little sister. Racer, the man that he and Gray had been fighting, intercepted him.

"You don't think that I'm letting you get away that easy. You aren't fast enough."

Natsu growled. He was sick and tired of these guys beating up his friends. "Shut up! Would you cut out the fast talk? It's getting old," he said. Racer just laughed. He disappeared and reappeared behind Natsu. Natsu barely had time to turn around before he was kicked in the side. He sailed across the battlefield. Out of the corner of his eye, Natsu saw Erza get bitten by the huge purple snake. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"I've had enough of this," Brain said suddenly. He lifted the staff he held in his hand. It had a skull on top of it. The skull started to glow green. In seconds, bursts of green light flooded the area. Natsu sensed that the magic was powerful. Racer turned to see his leader and grinned evilly. Cobra and Angel did the same. Hoteye was still engaged in combat with Lamia Scale. Gray didn't look to be in very good shape.

"No, stop!" a girl's voice cried. It was Wendy, calling from behind the rock. Brain looked over at her. A look of surprised washed over his face. "Wendy?" he said, almost too quietly to hear. The green glow dimmed, then disappeared entirely. "Wendy," Brain said again. The rest of the Oracion Seis looked confused.

"Hey, are you going to finish them or what?" Racer said impatiently. Brain shook his head. "You are Wendy. The maiden of the sky."

Wendy looked scared. Brain started to walk towards her. Natsu went to stop him, but Racer elbowed him in the gut, making him fall to the ground. Man, Natsu hated when he couldn't help his friends.

Brain grabbed Wendy and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "What are you doing!?" Wendy yelled, terror in her voice. "You're coming with me. Let's go, everybody. We need not waste our time with these fools."

"Come back! I've got you Wendy!" Happy shouted. He flew to her, trying to take her back, but Brain knocked him on the head and grabbed him.

_He is not getting away with Happy or Wendy._

Natsu tried to stand up, but Racer gave him one last kick in the side before running off. Within minutes, the Oracion Seis was out of sight. They were left alone, beaten and battered. Eve and Ren were unconscious, and Ichiya and Hibiki were struggling to stand. Gray and Natsu still had some power left in them. Erza looked to be down for the count. Lyon, Sherry, and Jura were fairing the best, but were not left unscratched. Lucy was hiding behind the rock that Wendy was.

Nyx looked to be faring the worst. Her body was covered in burns and bruises from the Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame. It pained Natsu that his own attack was the thing that put her in such a state. He felt guilty, even though it wasn't his fault. He ran over to Nyx to see how bad it was. She was breathing, which was a good sign. However, each breath was raspy and strained like she was having trouble. Her clothes were scorched, and the skin that wasn't burned was deathly pale. "Guy's, come quick!" Natsu yelled. Gray, Lucy, Hibiki, and Ichiya came to see what the problem was. When they saw Nyx's condition, worried looks passed over their faces.

"Oh no. Is she alive?" Gray asked. "Yeah," Natsu responded, "but just barely. Do we have anything that can help her?"

Ichiya posed, preparing to say something. "I have the solution! Men!" he said with bravado. "My painkiller parfume will do the trick!"

"Um, sorry to break it to you, but I don't think that a painkiller is what we need right now," Lucy said.

"Mr. Ichiya's painkiller parfume doesn't just ease pain, it heals wounds and burns as well. It can even expel most poisons!" Hibiki said, posing as well.

"MEN! I shall give her some at once!" Ichiya exclaimed. He took a vile out of his jacket and opened it. Sweet-smelling particles floated out of it. Natsu thought they smelled nice, and almost instantly, his pain started to fade. Everyone else seemed to relax a little bit more. Nyx's expression relaxed as well. To everyone's disbelief, the burns on Nyx's skin started to fade. In seconds, all that remained of the previously fatal injuries was tender, pink flesh. Nyx, however, was still unconscious. They would have to protect her until she woke up.

"Um, guys, we may have a problem over here." Lyon remarked. He, Sherry, and Jura were all standing next to Erza. She was awake, but didn't look to good. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. Natsu smelled something fowl; he smelled poison. Natsu ran over to Erza's side. The veins in her right arm were clearly visible and had a purple tint to them. Natsu remembered that that snake had bitten her. Her arm was poisoned.

"My painkiller parfume should do the trick!" Ichiya said again. He released the painkiller right into Erza's nose. She took a big whiff, but nothing happened. The poison was still there and it seemed to be spreading.

"What! My parfume didn't work! Men! This is embarrassing. I'm truly sorry miss Erza. Will you ever forgive me?"

Erza groaned. Natsu could tell that she was in even more pain now. "It's not your fault, Ichiya. Lucy, I'm sorry, but I need to borrow your belt!"

Erza grabbed Lucy's belt with her good arm and started tying it around her poisoned arm. Natsu had no idea what she was doing. Lucy screamed when her belt was taken, because her skirt started to fall down. Se quickly grabbed it and pulled it back up. Natsu was kind of disappointed.

Erza finished tying the Belt around her arm. She gritted her teeth. "I want you to cut it off. It's the only way I'll be able to keep fighting."

"No, Erza, are you crazy!?" Gray hollered. "You can't do this! It'll affect you for the rest of your life! Don't you think that you're jumping the gun a little too quickly?

"I'll do it," Lyon said. Erza summoned a sword and handed it to Lyon.

"Stop it. What do you think you are doing?" Natsu questioned. There was no way that Natsu would let that jerk cut off Erza's arm.

"It is not our place to interfere with her wishes. I am only doing as she asks me to."

Lyon raised the sword over his head and then brought it down to strike her arm. Gray, who grabbed the sword with ice in his hand, stopped him. "I will not let you. Do you really want to be known as the guy who maimed Erza?"

Lyon scowled. "No, but this is what she wants done! What is more important to you- her arm or her life?"

"Just DO IT ALREADY! The poison is spreading. I don't know how much longer I will be able to hold out!" Erza said. Natsu saw that she was rapidly losing strength. Her face was contorted into a painful grimace.

"No. We have to find an antidote." Lucy interrupted. Erza collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Everyone looked at her with worry.

"Wendy could have helped her, you know," said a female voice. It was Carla, slowly walking up to Erza. "Wendy's sky magic gives her the ability to heal wounds and expel poison. If she were here, we could save her."

An overjoyed aura fell onto the group. No one said anything about how healing magic was a lost magic. With everything that's been going on, anything was possible at this point. "So we have to find Wendy. Okay. Then that's the first thing we have to do. We've gotta save Erza!" Natsu hollered.

"We need to split into teams. Three teams will look for Wendy and the Oracion Seis.

One team will stay behind to look after Erza and Nyx," Jura commanded. No one disagreed. It was settled.

They had decided that Lucy and Hibiki would stay behind. Natsu, Gray, and Carla would be on one team. Jura, Lyon, and Sherry were on the second team, and Eve, Ren, and Ichiya were the third.

"Good luck, everybody." Natsu said. The three teams ran off to search for Wendy and Happy.

_Hang in there, Erza_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- Lucy's Perspective**

_Please, Erza, stay with us. The others have gone to get Wendy to heal you. Please, guys, hurry!_

It had been ten minutes since everyone had left. The poison in Erza's arm was spreading at an alarming rate. Lucy was sure that, once the poison reached her heart, she would be done for. Lucy wished everyone would hurry up. Maybe if Nyx woke up, she would be able to sense where Wendy was. Lucy considered trying to wake her up. It would give them a better chance at finding her, but Nyx needed to recover her strength.

Lucy had watched the entire battle between Nyx and Gemini. It pained her to see someone using Natsu's body to beat up Nyx. It wasn't right. Lucy nearly cried when she saw Gemini use the Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame on her. She knew it wasn't really Natsu, but it was still so wrong.

Nyx stirred. Lucy heard her muttering something. She must have been dreaming. Lucy couldn't make out what she was saying, but her face twisted into a terrified expression, so Lucy assumed she was having a nightmare.

Hibiki turned around to see what the noise was. "Is she all right?" he asked, worry in his voice. "Yeah, she's just dreaming." Lucy answered.

Nyx's mutterings got louder to where Lucy could hear some of her words.

"Natsu… why would you… just killed… aren't really doing… snap out of… help me!

Lucy wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about. Lucy hated it when she had nightmares. They always had something to do with her father. She always remembered them better than good dreams and she didn't know why.

Suddenly, Nyx hurriedly sat up, her eyes snapping open. "NATSU!" she yelled, panic in her voice. She was breathing hard. Lucy was startled.

"Nyx, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. It was only a dream, thank God."

"What were you dreaming about? It looked like you were having a nightmare. You were muttering things, but it didn't make sense."

Nyx looked at the ground. Hibiki walked over to her to try to comfort her. Nyx pushed him away. "It was about Nirvana"

"Nirvana?" Lucy and Hibiki asked at the same time.

"Yes, Nirvana. I know what it can do. I got the information from you, Hibiki. I'm sorry, but I needed to know what we were up against."

Hibiki looked frightened. "How did you get it from me? I never told anybody what Nirvana can do. How do you know?"

"I kinda sorta have the ability to search people's memories. Sorry."

Hibiki looked startled, but then smiled. "So you can see people's memories? That's weird, but kinda cool. Is that all you can do?"

"No, I can also read people's thoughts and sense their emotions. I can also control emotions. Cool, eh?"

Hibiki just stared. Lucy was surprised to see him at a loss of words around two ladies. She laughed.

Finally, Hibiki said, "Amazing. Where did you learn this magic?"

"I made it up. I developed the abilities while living on the road."

Hibiki nodded his head with newfound respect. Lucy was a little wary of him knowing what Nyx could do. They had originally planned on keeping most of it a secret in order to have surprise on their side. But, given the circumstances, it was probably best to know what she could do. That way, Nyx could help them out even more.

"Alright then. So you know what Nirvana can do. I guess you know the seriousness of the situation and why we need to make sure it is never unsealed."

Nyx nodded.

"So," Lucy said, "What was your dream about. And what does Nirvana do?"

"I really don't think I should tell you. Hibiki would explain it better."

Hibiki looked reluctant to tell Lucy about Nirvana. This made Lucy even more curious. "Fine," Hibiki said. "Nirvana is a powerful magic. It has the ability to turn light into darkness."

"What!? How is that even possible? So it can make light things dark? Can it make dark stuff light too?"

"Yes, it can. It has the ability to change someone with a light heart into someone with a dark and evil heart, and vice versa. It would be a terrible weapon in the hands of our enemies. Without even lifting a finger, they could have two guilds go to war with each other for no reason, or even have a guild fight amongst themselves. That is why we must be the first to reach Nirvana and destroy it, so things like that can never happen."

Lucy didn't know how to respond. Could magic like that really exist?

"My dream was about Nirvana. It was horrible." Nyx said in a melancholy voice. "I usually don't remember my dreams, but for some reason, this one was like I was there. I remember it with so much detail, like it's an actual memory. It's almost too scary to talk about, mostly because, it could really happen."

Lucy was scared to hear about Nyx's dream. Maybe it was best left a secret, but Lucy was curious. "You were muttering something about Natsu. Was your dream about Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, it was. In my dream, he…"

"Tell us, Nyx." Hibiki said. There was real concern in his voice.

"I dreamt about what would happen if his heart was darkened by Nirvana."

They were silent, waiting for Nyx to continue. She looked hesitant, but she took a deep breath and told the rest of it.

"After his heart was darkened, he didn't care about the life of others. Natsu's heart is about as loyal to his friends as they come. He always cares for the safety of his friends before his own. Nirvana made him the exact opposite of that. He immediately turned and…" Nyx couldn't finish her sentence. Tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her face with her hands.

_What happened? What dream could be so bad that it could make Nyx cry? She's only cried once before when we had just met her, and that was because she had put Natsu through a world of fear. This isn't good. Nyx said that her dream could possibly happen._

"Tell us, Nyx." Lucy said quietly. "It was just a dream. It wasn't real."

Nyx looked up. "I know, but it was so horrible. In my dream, Natsu did things that he would never do." Nyx then looked directly at Lucy, tears still in her eyes. "He killed you. He killed you, and he made everyone watch. I'm not even going to say how he did it, because it's too horrible to even remember. After that he… he took Gray by the head and…" Nyx had started to cry again. Lucy sat there in horror. How could Nyx even dream that up? Natsu wouldn't do that to her.

"That's… that's horrible." Hibiki said.

Nyx just sat there crying. It took three minutes for her to finally calm down to speak. "It was just so realistic and graphic and inhumane. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"You don't have to." Lucy said. However, for some reason, Lucy wanted to know how the rest of it went. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"You can project your thoughts to other people, right? Maybe you can project your memories, too. Can you do that?"

Nyx wiped a tear off of her face. "I've never tried that before. I don't know if it would work. Why, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, I was kinda wondering how your dream ended. Since you don't want to talk about it, I was thinking that maybe I could just see what happened instead of you telling me."

"I want to know, too," Hibiki said.

"No, you don't. It was too horrible."

"I really do want to know, Nyx. I want to know what could possibly make you cry."

Nyx thought for a moment. "Fine, but you will regret it. I don't even know if it will work cause I've never tried before. Here goes nothing."

Nyx looked like she was concentrating really hard. Suddenly, Lucy wasn't in the forest next to Nyx and Hibiki anymore. She was in a forest, but Natsu was standing in front of her. She saw Gray, Erza, and all of the other allied forces next to her. She even saw another Lucy.

_This is Nyx's memory. I'm seeing things through her eyes, not mine. I will feel what she felt._

Everyone next to her looked terrified. Natsu had a wicked grin on his face. It was an evil grin that Lucy never thought Natsu would wear.

Lucy opened her mouth, but Nyx's voice came out. "Natsu, snap out of it!" she yelled.

"Now, why would I do that? This is a great feeling, you know. I feel so powerful. I could do anything!" Natsu yelled. There was something off about him, though. He didn't seem like Natsu.

"Natsu, this isn't you! You're being controlled by Nirvana!" Erza yelled. Natsu just stared at her. "No one is controlling me. I'm doing this out of my own free will. Now, get out of my way or die!"

Lucy was taken aback. Natsu would never say something like that.

"Natsu, please, come back to us! This isn't you! This is Nirvana talking!" dream Lucy yelled. Natsu glared at her. He slowly walked over to her, taking his time. Real Lucy felt terrified of Natsu at this point. He approached her and took her by the neck. It was weird, watching herself from Nyx's point of view.

"I always loved you, Lucy, but no longer. You mean _nothing_ to me."

Lucy felt her heart shatter. _Did Natsu really just say that? No, this is a dream, a memory. This didn't happen._

Natsu had dream Lucy by the neck and was holding her in the air. He seemed to relish her pain. He squeezed, bringing a breathless squeak out of dream Lucy. He laughed. "You were always the weakest one."

He gave one last squeeze. Dream Lucy went limp.

_Oh my God. Did I really just watch that? This is a dream, so why does it seem so real?_

Natsu looked over at the rest of them, enjoying the terrified looks on their faces. Everyone had tears in their eyes.

"Why would you do that, Natsu?" Gray said. Even he was crying.

"Why, you ask? There was no reason. I just wanted to."

Lucy wanted out of this memory right now, but she had a feeling Nyx wouldn't let her out until the end. She would just have to watch.

"You know, Gray, I once cared for you like a brother. I would act like I hated you but I really did care. Not anymore, though. I hate you."

"You bastard! You aren't Natsu! Ice Make… aak!" Gray was about to attack when he was cut off by a punch to the gut. "Heh. I was always stronger than you, Gray. You are a fool."

"Why, Natsu?" He asked, struggling to get up off the floor. Gray was clutching his stomach like it hurt badly. Natsu chuckled. "It would have done you good to stay down, ice princess." Natsu said sadistically. Lucy couldn't bear to watch, but she had no control over her body. It was Nyx's memory and she only moved when Nyx did.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you."

He grabbed Gray's shirt collar, lit his hand on fire, and took a fighting stance. He lit his hand on fire. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He yelled. Gray probably wouldn't survive that attack at such a close range.

Natsu drove his fist right into Gray's nose. It crumpled like a piece of paper. Natsu dropped Gray onto the ground and he landed with a thud. Nyx's body looked away from Gray, so Lucy didn't get a good look at him. She didn't want to.

"I told you guys to stay out of my way. I'll be going now. Don't even bother going home to Fairy Tail. There wont be a Fairy Tail to go back to, soon."

Natsu started to walk away. Everyone stood there in shock. Gray and dream Lucy were on the ground, dead. The remaining allied forces didn't move. They couldn't. Lucy was afraid, sad, and a thousand other things. Lucy opened her mouth.

"Natsu! How could you! Why would you do something like that? They're your friends and you killed them! You aren't really doing this, Natsu. You're my brother. SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Natsu stopped in his tracks. He turned around, hatred in his eyes. "I never loved you, sister." He said. He moved with incredible speed. In no time, he was right in front of Lucy. His face was twisted into a smirk so evil that she didn't even recognize him. Lucy was shaking in fear. Natsu grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her closer. "Help me!" Lucy yelled.

"Your friends aren't there to help you, sister."

He turned Lucy around, and she saw the most horrific thing she had ever seen. For some reason, all of her friends lie dead on the ground, bloody and beaten.

_This is a dream, after all. Weird stuff like that can happen, but WHY?_

"You see, sister, you're too late. Your friends are dead. No one is there to save you.

He turned her back to face him. She tried so hard to look away but she couldn't. Natsu took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"NATSU!" she yelled, and suddenly, it was over. Lucy was breathing hard, and Hibiki was as well.

"Did it work?" Nyx said.

"Yes, it did. I wish it didn't. I should have listened to you, Nyx." Lucy said.

"How could you even dream that up?" Hibiki asked.

"I don't know." Nyx said quietly.

Tears were forming in Lucy's eyes. She wished she had never experienced that. "Well, I guess that's one more reason why we have to stop Nirvana from being activated," she said.

"Right," Hibiki and Nyx said together.

Lucy tried to wipe the dream from her memory. It felt like the dream was about five minutes long. It could have been longer. Lucy wasn't sure.

"How long were we out?" Hibiki asked, like he was wondering the same thing.

"You weren't." Nyx responded. "You both stared in the distance for a few seconds, and suddenly, you were both breathing hard."

The three of them were silent. They all had newfound determination to stop Nirvana. But, for now, they had to focus on the immediate problem. Erza was dying, and she needed help.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21- Gray's Perspective**

_What are these freaks doing? They look like a bunch of monkeys._

While searching for Nyx, Gray, Natsu, and Carla had run into some dark guild freaks that said they're part of the Naked Mummy Guild. What a stupid name.

"Get out of our way!" Gray yelled. "No way. We have direct orders from the Oracion Seis to keep you busy. You don't stand a chance against the fearsome Naked Mummy guild!" a man said. He was a brute of a man with huge ears and spiky hair. He did kinda look like a monkey.

"You guys look like a bunch of monkeys!" Natsu yelled with a smile. He started to make monkey noises and jump around. Idiot.

"Hey, are you making fun of us? We have direct orders from the Oracion Seis to fight you. We are the fearsome Naked Mummy guild and you don't stand a chance!" the man said again.

A second man with darker skin, golden teeth, and a huge Afro joined in on the conversation. "You just said that, Big Bro Gato."

"Oh, did I Big Bro Zato? I didn't even realize it."

"I've had enough of you freaks." Gray said. Natsu was still jumping around and acting like a monkey.

"Hey, Natsu! Stop goofing around and help me beat these guys!" Gray yelled. Natsu instantly got serious. "Yeah. We need to find where their hiding Wendy. Maybe we can beat the answers out of them."

Carla huffed. "You honestly think that you can beat all of them? You are outnumbered 20 to 1 at least! You two are so reckless!"

Gray and Natsu both ignored Carla. They prepared to fight.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yelled. A flame engulfed his had and he sent three of the dark guild members flying. It was Gray's turn, now.

"Ice Make, Lance!" He yelled. Dozens of icy spears appeared before him. He was aiming at a group of five or six dark wizards getting ready to strike. The ice spears hit their targets.

"Whoa, these kids aren't fooling around." Gato said.

"Yeah, and it doesn't look like their fooling around." Zato mimicked.

"I just got done saying that, bro."

Gray ignored the two buffoons and focused on beating every last one of the Naked Mummy guild. Some of them fought back and got a few hits in, but nothing that Gray couldn't handle. Minutes later, every one of the Naked Mummy guild members were on the ground except for Gato and Zato.

"Well, would you look at that? These punks know how to fight. That's not a problem though. We could probably take them without even using magic!" Zato said.

"Yeah, and we could beat them by only using our fists!" Gato said.

"I just said that, Big Bro Gato."

_What is up with these monkeys? I swear, we run into more weird people every day than most people do in a lifetime._

"I'm getting tired of you monkeys," Natsu said, "So I'm going to have to take you down!"

Gray and Natsu both attacked, fire and ice working together. Gato and Zato both jumped out of the way, though. They were more nimble than they looked.

Natsu and Gray turned around, only to find a fist in their faces. Zato and Gato had punched each of them at the same time.

_They're stronger than I thought. That doesn't matter, though. We'll still beat them._

"Ice Make, Hammer!" Gray yelled. A huge hammer appeared in front of him. He took it and swung down on Gato. He tried to dodge, but the hammer caught his foot.

"YOW! Oh, now you're gonna pay!"

The battle went on for a good five minutes before Natsu and Gray finally beat them. They had put up a good fight.

"Jeez, I thought it would have been easier to beat them." Natsu said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Gray agreed.

Natsu walked over to Zato, who was still barely conscious. "Where are the Oracion Seis hiding? You better tell me."

"I ain't telling you anything," the man said. Natsu slammed his head against the ground, knocking him out. Gray thought that was a little harsh, but they needed answers. Gato was knocked out cold, and so was the rest of the guild. They had no one left to ask.

A familiar voice came up from behind them. "So, you beat the Naked Mummy guild all by yourselves, huh? Well, they were just a bunch of monkeys. You wont be getting away so easily with me."

Gray turned around. A man with white hair and tattoos on his eyes was flying high above them. Gray thought that this guy was never coming back.

Gray almost hit Natsu when he opened his mouth. "Hey, cool breeze! Long time no see, how ya been?"

"Idiot!" Gray yelled. "That's Eragor! You know, the one who tried to kill the guild masters with the lullaby flute?"

Natsu thought for a second. "Oh yeah. You're that guy I beat up on the train tracks! Come back for seconds?"

That seemed to make Eragor mad. "No, I've come here to take revenge and destroy you!"

Natsu and Eragor started arguing. Gray just watched. He knew that Natsu would win this fight. Carla, on the other hand, wore an odd expression. "That man uses wind magic. Fire doesn't seem to be the best thing to fight wind, does it?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Natsu's beaten that guy before. He'll do it again."

Carla let out an exasperated "humph."

In minutes, Eragor was down for the count. Natsu looked proud of himself.

"Hey, why did you have to drag that out so long, huh?" Gray teased. Natsu just laughed.

Gray walked over to Natsu. "Do you think he'll tell us where their hiding?"

"Maybe," Natsu said.

They both approached Eragor, ready to interrogate him. Natsu got right up in his face. "Where are they hiding Wendy?" he asked angrily.

"I… don't know a… Wendy," Eragor struggled to say.

"Then where is their base?" Gray asked. Gray was sure that Eragor would keep his mouth shut, but his expectations were shot when Eragor answered.

"In an old abandoned village just north of here. It's secluded, so it may be hard to find."

_Well, that was easy._

"Alright. Thanks," Natsu said. Eragor just growled.

Gray, Natsu and Carla headed north with newfound determination. "You two are so reckless. Nevertheless, I am impressed by your show of power," Carla admitted. "Well, we are part of the Fairy Tail guild. Reckless pretty much sums it up," Gray responded.

Soon, they had reached a cliff that overlooked a small cove. In that cove were a few abandoned houses. It must have been the village that Eragor was talking about.

"WENDY! HAPPY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Natsu shouted.

"Idiot! You're going to give us away!" Carla snapped. Natsu didn't look guilty. In fact, Gray wasn't sure that he had even heard Carla.

A faint sound could be heard in the distance.

"We're here, Natsu!" a voice said. It was quiet, but there was no doubt about it, it was Happy.

In seconds, the three of them were racing towards the village, but they were stopped. Racer what right in front of them with a smirk on his face.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22- Erza's Perspective**

_Jellal_

She swore she heard the name.

Erza woke up but didn't move. People were talking around her, and she realized that they were her friends. Her arm wasn't in pain anymore. In fact, it felt better than ever. They must have found a way to heal her.

Her friends were in the middle of a conversation.

"…sent Nyx off to come help you." Lucy finished saying.

"Do you have any way to contact her so she can come back? Hibiki, you talked to me and put a map in my brain to show me the way back. Can you get a hold of Nyx, too?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, I should have no problem getting to her. She only left a few minutes ago," Hibiki answered. Erza didn't move to look at what he was doing.

"It's my fault. I'm so sorry!" a girl said. It was Wendy! They must have found her and brought her back! But, she sounded like she was crying.

"It wasn't your fault, Wendy." Carla said, attempting to comfort her.

"Yes, it is! I owe Jellal my life! He was so kind to me!"

There it was again. _Jellal._

Suddenly, the sky filled with light. It was a light unlike any Erza had ever seen. It was a dark light. She wasn't sure how that was even possible.

"Oh no…" Hibiki said. "No, they got to it before we did!"

"What is that thing?" Lucy and Natsu asked together. Erza couldn't see anything.

"It's Nirvana! It's been unsealed!"

Wendy started to cry even more.

Erza heard Nyx's voice in the distance. "Guys! Bad news!"

"We know." Everyone said together.

Natsu stared at something. Erza couldn't see what. "That pillar of light. I KNOW Jellal is there!"

Erza heard Natsu's quick footsteps move away from them.

"Natsu! Wait!" Nyx cried. Erza knew that, once Natsu was mad, nothing could stop him.

"Jellal? Oh no, what have I done? This is my fault!"

_Jellal_

That was it. Erza got up while everyone was looking towards the sky. She finally got a good look at the thing everyone was staring at. It was a black pillar of light. It looked evil. Erza could almost feel Jellal's presence over there. She was already in her flight armor to give her speed. She took off in the direction of the light, making sure to stay out of Natsu's field of vision so she wouldn't be spotted. She ran as fast as she could. In minutes, she was at the base of the light. She re-quipped back into her regular armor.

There, in front of her, was Jellal. Erza's body filled with hatred as she gazed upon the man that had caused her so much pain.

"Jellal!" she hollered.

Jellal turned around, an emotionless expression plastered on his face.

"Erza," he said quietly. How dare he speak her name after all he had done to her!

"Why are you here, Jellal?"

Jellal looked at her and said nothing. He covered his face with his hands and stared to cry. Erza was shocked.

"I don't know!" Jellal hollered in frustration. "I have no idea why I'm here! I don't know who I am, or where I came from. The only thing I remember is a name. _Erza._ Please, can you tell me who this name belongs to?"

Erza didn't know how to respond. Was this a joke? Was he trying to trick her?

"Jellal, what do you mean?" she asked angrily.

"I don't remember anything! Please, help me!"

_He doesn't remember? No. He has to remember the pain he put me and everyone else through._

"I am the one called Erza. You are Jellal, and you have hurt so many people!"

She ran right up to him and pushed him to the ground.

"How DARE you forget the pain you put us all through. Remember no or I will drive my sword through your heart. You BASTARD!"

Jellal had tears in his eyes. "I hurt you?" he asked innocently. Erza was angrier than ever before.

"Yes, you hurt me and all of my friends. You forced the people who were once your friends to be your slaves. You tried to kill me! You killed Simon!"

Jellal looked sad. If he, in fact, couldn't remember anything, then he wouldn't know of the evil in his heart.

"I did that… to my comrades?" he asked, on the verge of crying even more.

Erza didn't have the heart to kill the man. She hated him, but she couldn't kill him. She let him go and stood up. "Yes," she said. Jellal stood up and brushed himself off.

"When I woke up, I only remembered your name, Erza." He smiled. "Funny. Every time I say that name, a calmness washes over me."

Erza gasped. Why would her name cause him to be calm?

"I woke up, and I knew exactly where Nirvana was and how to unseal it. I also knew how to stop it. I don't know why or how I came to know this information, but I know that I have to stop this thing no matter the cost."

Intricate designs cascaded there way around the beam of light. The designs formed a self-destruction circle.

"You're going to blow it up?" Erza asked.

"Yes. I had to unseal it before it could be destroyed."

Erza was about to ask how he knew how to make a self-destruction circle, but a voice from behind stopped her.

"You fool! You can't destroy Nirvana!"

It was Cobra. He ran up to Nirvana and tried to undo the circle.

"This is the most detailed self-destruction circle I've ever seen!" he yelled. He bore his eyes into Jellal. "Take it down now!"

"No. Nirvana must be destroyed," he retorted.

Cobra worked as hard as he could to undo the magic circle, but it was pointless. Cobra soon gave up and slumped to the ground. "All our hard work… was for nothing?"

"Now, now, Cobra. Are you forgetting that this kind of magic is my specialty?"

A new voice came from behind them. It was brain, walking towards Nirvana with a smile on his face. Erza was prepared to fight. Brain walked right past her like she was no threat.

With one touch, Brain undid the magic circle placed by Jellal. Jellal looked terrified of Brain. "Don't forget, Jellal," Brain started, "that I am the one who taught you this."

_What? Jellal knows this man?_

"I'm sorry, Brain," Cobra said. "I don't think he will be taking a trip down memory lane with you. His memory was wiped clean from the etherion."

Brain laughed, hard. "This is too funny. You don't even remember?!" He laughed some more.

"No, I don't!" Jellal yelled, clutching his head as if he was trying to grab his memories.

"Then we have no more use for you," said Brain, lifting his staff to blast Jellal.

"Get down!" yelled Erza. She pushed Jellal to the ground, protecting him with her body. "We need to run!" she whispered in his ear.

"I can hear you," Cobra said.

"Come on! Lets go!" She yelled.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23- Nyx's Perspective**

_Natsu you IDIOT! Jellal's probably not alone over there! Any one of the Oracion Seis could be right next to it. You aren't strong enough to beat two of them, especially if one of them is Jellal!_

Nyx was projecting her thoughts to Natsu to talk him out of going. She knew for a fact that he heard her, but she got no response. _I'm going to get you for that. _She thought that more to herself.

It was just she, Lucy, Hibiki, Happy, Carla, and Wendy now. Hibiki worked furiously to contact anyone he could with his archive, but he couldn't find anyone.

Wendy hadn't said a word about Natsu and Erza running off. Nyx looked over at her to see if se was okay. Wendy was crying, her head in her hands, and murmuring about how it was all her fault.

_Oh no! Nirvana's first stage is taking hold of her!_

Nyx thought furiously on what to do. She decided to ask Hibiki. She sent her thoughts to him.

_HIBIKI! _

Hibiki looked back at her, clearly startled at her sudden outburst. _Wendy's in trouble!_

Realization spread across his face. He quickly ran over to Wendy and struck her so hard that she was out cold.

_That was a little harsh_

_"Well, it was all I could do to stop Nirvana from taking hold of her."_

Lucy, Happy, and Carla looked at Hibiki with shock. "Why would you hit Wendy like that?" Happy inquired.

"It isn't nice to strike little girls, you know," Carla lectured. Lucy just gaped at him with horror in her eyes.

"I had to do it. She was at risk of turning to the dark side," Hibiki said solemnly.

"What? What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"When Nirvana is in its first stage, it seeks out people wavering between darkness and light. Then, it takes hold of you and changes you to the opposite of what you would normally be. So, to put it simply, a good guy that's feeling down would likely fall to the dark side." Hibiki explained.

"Yes. Wendy was angry at herself for reviving Jellal for the Oracion Seis. She was wavering between light and dark. So, to prevent her from changing sides, Hibiki knocked her out. It was the only thing he could do." Nyx added.

Lucy and Carla nodded in understanding, but Happy still looked confused.

"We need to go after Natsu and Erza. I'm afraid they could get into trouble." Lucy suggested.

"Right," Hibiki and Nyx said at the same time.

Hibiki picked up Wendy and put her on his back. Everyone else stood up and got ready to run. "Ready?" Hibiki asked. The group nodded.

They took off, running at a quick pace, but not so fast as to where they would get tired. Nyx took her bow off of her back, just in case they ran into trouble. They ran for a long time in silence. They didn't know what they would find when they got to Nirvana, but they had to get there in order to help Natsu and Erza. Everything was going smoothly until Nyx felt Lucy get extremely nervous all of a sudden.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Nyx asked worriedly.

"I just had a thought. You said that Nirvana targets negative emotions, right?"

Nyx nodded.

"Well, Natsu's pretty angry right now. Do you think he will be affected by Nirvana? I don't want to see your dream become a reality, Nyx."

Nyx was about to answer, but Hibiki beat her to the punch. "Well, Natsu's mad for someone else's sake, so it's a tough call. I guess we will just have to wait and see."

That is exactly what Nyx was going to say. Natsu's anger was justified and he had good intentions. Nyx didn't think it would be likely that Natsu would fall victim to this black magic. He had a strong will.

Nyx could feel that Lucy was truly worried about Natsu. She didn't want to lose him. Nyx also sensed that Lucy was feeling something else besides just worry. Of coarse, anyone would worry for a close friend in this kind of a situation. But, from what Nyx could tell, Lucy wanted Natsu to be more than just a close friend. A Flurry of emotions was coming off of Lucy; nervousness, worry, loyalty, _love_.

_I'm going to be hearing about this later, aren't I? _

They ran for a few more minutes before they came across a stream. They stopped to catch their breath. Happy and Carla were still doing okay because they could both fly.

"You guys finally made it," a voice said. It was Gray's voice.

The group looked up, relief flowing through their bodies. "Oh, Gray, thank God you're here," Lucy said. Gray was standing on a small raft in the middle of the stream. Next to him, on the ground, was Natsu, on the verge of puking. Nyx thought her motion sickness was bad, but this was just sad. The raft wasn't even moving.

"Why are you guys on a raft?" Happy questioned. "You could just walk across the river."

Gray chuckled. Something was off. Nyx started to search his mind, but everything was fuzzy, just like Gemini's…

"That's not Gray!" Nyx hollered. "It's Gemini!"

Gray smiled. "I know everything about you, Nyx. I know that you beat Gray in a battle with ease. I know the abilities that you possess. I know that you can shoot an arrow with deadly accuracy. I know that you and Natsu here are siblings. I know everything that Gray knows about you."

Nyx cursed to herself. How could she have been so foolish?! Gemini could probably take her form and use her powers to get any information they wanted! Crap!

There was, however, one way of preventing that from happening. If Gemini did happen to take on her form, then they would have to search for that information. It would barely take any time at all fro them to learn how to use her powers, but that little time would be all she needed. If she slipped up, then it would be over for them.

But wait, where was Angel? If her spirits were here, then she had to be around here somewhere, right?

"You are a smart girl, Nyx," a woman's voice said from behind a tree. Speak of the devil…

"Angel," Hibiki said.

Nyx used this opportunity to search angel's mind for any information that might be useful to them at the moment. Let's see…

She had three zodiac spirits on hand: Gemini, Aries, and Scorpio. There were a few silver gate keys, but the only powerful one was the chisel. Chisel? Next.

She was sent here by brain to defeat us so were would be out of brain's way. She was confident that they stood no chance against her as long as she had her zodiac keys. She even thought that Nyx's power was stupid and would be no threat against her.

That made Nyx mad. She hated when people undermined her power. They thought she was weak and helpless like any normal girl. Nyx knew she wasn't physically strong, but that didn't give anyone the right to judge her. No, she wasn't going to take this crap from anyone anymore. Not even from her friends. They would pay for thinking she was weak. They would all pay.

_No, no, NO. I can't get mad right now. Not with Nirvana in it's first stage. That was scary. I barely even got mad and Nirvana started to take hold of me. Maybe it's because my emotions are so much stronger due to my magic. That's not good. I need to control my anger better. This isn't going to be easy._

All of this happened within a few seconds. Nyx didn't think that anyone noticed anything was wrong. Angel was still grinning evilly. It was ironic, how much she did look like an angel, but she acted more like the devil.

The last thing that Nyx learned about her was that Angel didn't know any ability type magic. She only used gate keys. _Good, that way if we have to fight her, she wont stand a chance._

"Gemini, do your thing," Angel ordered. Gemini started to change. Nyx prepared for it to change into her, first. It did.

Before Gemini learned how to use her powers, Nyx put her plan into action. She didn't know if it would work, but it was her only option. In a split second, Nyx sent an extremely high-pitched frequency from her mind to Gemini's. Nyx could hear frequencies that normal people couldn't, so that meant, her brain could register them. For a few seconds, Gemini looked confused. Then, the spirit clutched its ears, attempting to drown out the sound.

"AAHHH! Make it stop!" Gemini said. Everyone looked at Nyx's clone like it was crazy. No one else would be able to hear the frequency because Nyx was only sending to Gemini. She had to concentrate real hard to keep the frequency going until Gemini changed into someone different.

"What is that noise?! It's inside my head!" Gemini screamed in agony. Angel looked confused as well.

Hibiki looked over at Nyx. He smiled like he knew what was going on. Nyx didn't focus on Hibiki, though. She kept the high-pitched noise going.

"Change into someone else, or else it will keep going." Hibiki said. _You genius._

"AAAHHHH! Help! It's so loud!" Gemini yelled. The spirit fell to the ground, clutching its head. It began to change into its original form- the two twins. Nyx stopped the frequency. It drained more magic energy than she thought it would. She tried not to show how fatigued she suddenly was.

Gemini seemed to think Hibiki was the one that made the sound, since he was the one who spoke. "You will pay for that," Gemini hissed. They began to transform, this time into Lucy.

Nyx remembered that Wendy was still here, oblivious to what was going on. She needed to get out of here.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Lucy shouted, pointing at her doppelganger. Gemini smirked.

_Carla, take Wendy and get out of here._

Carla looked up at Nyx, and then nodded. She grabbed Wendy and flew off into the sky

"Open, gate of the archer, Sagittarius!" the real Lucy yelled. A golden light appeared in front of Lucy. When the light died down, a man in a horse outfit holding a bow stood proudly. "I am at your service, miss Lucy."

"Thanks, Sagittarius. Now, take the other me down!"

"Yes, ma'am"

Sagittarius took aim at the fake Lucy. Fake Lucy just smiled. "Sagittarius, turn that bow around and aim at that little white cat flying away."

"No, ma'am. You are not Lucy."

Even though Sagittarius didn't want to, his body still did. He turned and aimed at Carla and Wendy.

"What are you doing? Stop aiming at them!"

"I can't, miss Lucy. I don't have any control over my own body!" he yelled. Gemini chuckled. "I'm an exact copy of you, so your spirits have to do exactly what I say. Fire your bow, Sagittarius."

The horseman let go of the arrow and sent it directly at Carla and Wendy. "NO!" Happy yelled. Nyx grabbed her bow my instinct and knocked an arrow. In not time, Nyx had an arrow flying through the sky as well. She put magic energy behind it to make the speed of the arrow greater. Nyx's silver arrow pierced the spirit's arrow in mid air feet from Carla and Wendy, shattering it. Thank the heavens that her arrows were indestructible.

_That was too close._

They all looked at Nyx with amazement, even Angel and Gemini. Sagittarius let out a sigh of relief.

"Whoa," Hibiki whispered.

_That's right. Hibiki hasn't seen me use a bow yet, has he? _

"That was incredible!" Gemini gaped. Angel was speechless. She looked back at Nyx with new respect, but not without hatred.

"You are more skilled than I thought," Angel admitted. At least she didn't think she was weak anymore.

Gemini decided that Nyx was the immediate threat, not Lucy or Sagittarius. The spirit started to transform, turning into the one person that it knew she couldn't beat.

"Come ON! Really?" Nyx yelled in annoyance. Gemini had turned into her brother again. There were two Natsu's now, both of them on the raft. Gemini smiled.

_Wait, hold on one second. Gemini turned into Natsu while still on the raft. It should have thought that through a little more._

Gemini's smile quickly turned into a frown. The spirit grabbed Natsu's mouth, getting a sick look on its face.

"Natsu gets horribly motion sick, dumbass. You forget that already?" Nyx said condescendingly. Lucy, Hibiki, and Happy broke into laughter. Angel looked humiliated. Gemini was lying on the raft next to real Natsu, trying not to throw up.

"You useless pet! You will pay for your stupidity!" Angel scolded Gemini. She took out a golden gate key and closed Gemini's gate.

Nyx's magic power was almost out. It was amazing how much she had used making that arrow fly faster. She could still fight, but she didn't want to risk incapacitating herself again. She didn't like being useless.

"I'm going to sit the rest of this fight out. I don't have any more magic energy. Sorry," Nyx moaned.

"That's fine, Nyx. You did great." Hibiki responded.

Nyx went over by a rock and sat down to rest. Angel didn't look too happy about that. "You won't be getting away that easily!" she yelled.

Nyx didn't want to deal with Angel right now. She just needed time to recover her magic energy. With some of her remaining power, Nyx tried to turn the anger Angel felt towards her into anger she felt towards Lucy. It was mean, but Lucy would understand.

Angel suddenly took no interest in Nyx. She turned towards Lucy with hatred in her eyes. Nyx felt that Lucy was confused, but then she seemed to understand.

Nyx had just used the last bit of magic energy that she had. She felt exhausted. She predicted the outcome of the battle though. Nyx was sure that Lucy would win.

The last thing she saw before falling asleep was Lucy summoning Leo and Angel summoning Aries.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24- Natsu's Perspective**

_Why must I suffer through this hell?_

It wasn't even moving, yet the floating raft made Natsu sick. He was barely aware of the fight going on around him. He was more focused on how his stomach wanted to turn inside out. Every once and a while he would try to get up to help fight, but he just couldn't.

_Damn this weakness. I can't even help my friends. _

Minutes passed, but Natsu wasn't any closer to getting over this sickness. He learned somewhere that it helped to focus on something in the distance to get over motion sickness. He tried staring at the clouds, at the horizon, at the treetops, but nothing seemed to work. If anything, all it did was take even more attention off of the battle at hand. Either way, he couldn't really see the battle, anyway. He didn't have the energy to turn his head to look.

Natsu did, however, notice that Gemini was no longer on the raft next to him. It was a celestial spirit after all. That witch Angel probably summoned it back to her key-thingy.

Just before Gemini disappeared, though, he noticed another Natsu lying on the raft next to him. Natsu didn't have the stomach to look over, but he could tell Gemini turned into him. He felt a moment of satisfaction as Gemini collapsed on the raft, fraught with the same motion sickness he was experiencing. Take that, fake Natsu.

For nearly thirty minutes, Lucy and Hibiki took on Angel. Constantly, different spirits were being summoned from Lucy and Angel. Hibiki was trying his best to help wherever he could.

During the battle, Natsu barely noticed Loke appearing out of nowhere. He still didn't get how that pretty boy was actually a celestial spirit. All this thinking was making his brain and his stomach hurt.

Natsu heard only a few things that were said. It mostly included Lucy and Angel screaming to open the gate of something or other. He did hear the name Karen a couple of times, though. The first time her name was mentioned, Hibiki collapsed into the side of the river, trembling with anger. He was just in Natsu's line of vision. He seemed to be struggling with something, but whatever it was, Natsu couldn't see it. He looked furious.

Natsu decided to stop paying attention all together. He just lay there, hating his motion sickness.

He knew the battle had ended when a bright light came out of nowhere and he started floating downstream. He faintly heard Lucy chasing after him. She wouldn't be able to do that if she was still fighting.

"Natsu!" she yelled. She was catching up to him. He tried with all of his strength to look her way. He managed to position himself to where he could reach for her. He almost cringed when he saw her.

Lucy was extremely beat up. It looked like she lost a fight with a tornado. It must have been a tough battle- the battle with Angel, not the tornado.

"Natsu! Grab my hand!" she yelled. She was inches from the raft, but the current was picking up speed. Natsu moved his hand to take hold of hers. He had to reach far to touch her fingertips. It seemed like they weren't going to be able to grab hold of each other, but with one last-ditch effort, they did. Lucy seized Natsu's hand and pulled her way onto the raft.

The raft was small. There was barely enough room for two people to be on it. Lucy was practically sitting on top of Natsu when she climbed on. Natsu would have moved over a little, but his motion sickness wouldn't let him.

"That was close," Lucy sighed.

"Yea… it… was…" Natsu struggled to get out. He felt like throwing up right then and there.

Natsu heard a loud roaring in the distance. From the looks of it, Lucy heard it too.

"What's that sound?" she asked. How was he supposed to know?

"Oh no… no no no no no!" Lucy screamed. What was wrong?

The roaring was louder now. It almost sounded like a waterfall…

Without warning, the raft tilted forward, and Natsu and Lucy were sent speeding down the stream. It was more like a river, now. Lucy was thrown right on top of Natsu.

"Where did all these rapids come from?" Lucy screamed. Natsu was even sicker, now. Great. Just great.

"AAAAHHHH!" Lucy shouted. Natsu would have yelled as well, but all that came out of him was, "Uhhhhhh."

Lucy put an arm around Natsu, as if to protect him. He looked up at the sky, wishing that the world would stop spinning.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lucy yelled. What was wrong this time?

The raft tilted forward again, but this time, it threw both mages into the air. They were falling down the waterfall. Lucy grabbed hold of Natsu, hugging him. He was still sick, even though they were off the raft.

"EEEEEKKK!" Lucy screeched. Natsu didn't say anything.

Icy cold water blasted him in the face. He barely had the energy to move. He never took in a breath while in the air, so he didn't have much air left in his lungs. He felt Lucy's hand wrap around his arm and start to pull him up. His head broke the surface, and he started gasping for air. He vaguely noticed Lucy swim him to shore and drag him across the ground. He heard Lucy cough as he blacked out.

He woke up with strange clothes on. It felt like he was leaned up against a tree.

"Okay, now where am I?" he asked to no one in particular.

"I also provided sir Natsu with a matching set," a woman said. It was Virgo, Lucy's maid spirit person. She must have been the one that saved him and Lucy.

"That wasn't necessary," Lucy grumbled.

"We're wasting time. Where's that light- thingy?" Natsu said. Virgo pointed towards it. The light was different now. It was white instead of black.

"It looks different," Lucy said.

"The light changed from black to white while the two of you were unconscious," Virgo inquired. Natsu felt strangely angry at the light. He started growling at it for no reason in particular. Then, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Lucy looked at him like he was crazy.

His head jerked towards Lucy. He stared angrily at her for a second, though he wasn't sure why. He then smiled and said, "Thanks for saving my butt back there."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Lucy said back.

"She loooooves you," Virgo said. She sounded like happy.

"Don't copy that stupid cat!" Lucy yelled. She took the words right out of his mouth.

"Speaking of which, where is Happy?" Natsu asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I will see you later, princess," Virgo said as she disappeared in a golden light.

"Wait! Oh never mind," Lucy sighed.

They looked around for a minute, taking in their surroundings. Just then, a familiar squeaky voice came from the sky.

"Natsu! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Happy said. He was carrying someone in his hands. It was Nyx!

Happy landed in front of Natsu and Lucy. He put Nyx down on the ground. She was unconscious. She didn't look too beat up, so why was she passed out?

Natsu took Nyx by the shoulders and started shaking her. "Hey! Nyx! Wake up! Hey! Can you hear me?! C'mon, wake up!"

Nyx stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. "Natsu, is that you?" she asked. "And Lucy? Are you there too?"

"Yeah," Natsu answered. Good thing she was okay.

Natsu heard a rustling in the bushes that were nearby. He didn't know what it was. Hopefully it wasn't any of the Oracion Seis, because they were in no shape to fight right now.

"What's that?" Lucy squeaked.

Nyx moaned, "It's just Sherry."

"How do you know?" Natsu asked, but then felt stupid for asking. Nyx could sense those kinds of things, duh.

Nyx sat up and stared towards a figure that was coming their way. Just like Nyx said, it was Sherry. She didn't look too good, though. She looked kind of sad.

"Oh no…" Nyx whispered. What was it this time?

Natsu could barely hear what Sherry said next. "It's all your fault. It was you Fairy Tail Wizards who did this."

Natsu wished that something would make sense for once.

Nyx spoke up. "She's been turned by Nirvana!"

What was that supposed to mean?

Lucy gasped and backed away. Obviously she knew what it meant. Was he the only one left in the dark here?

"Marionette attack!" Sherry yelled. Two arms made out of tree bark came shooting from behind her. They were about to grab hold of Natsu and Nyx before another figure came out from behind her. Three random ice spires came up out of nowhere and destroyed the tree arms.

"I've had enough of you!" Gray shouted.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25- Gray's Perspective**

"I've had enough of you!"

Gray took Sherry by the throat and threw her into the ground. She was acting strange ever since Lyon had "blown up." Gray knew he wasn't dead though.

"It's your fault that Lyon died! You did this!" Sherry wailed.

"Wait, Lyon died?" Nyx asked, shocked.

As if on cue, a voice came from behind the bushes. "You haven't given up on me that easily now, have you?"

Lyon emerged from the shadows, looking pretty scraped up. He wore a smile, like it was no big deal.

"Lyon!" Sherry yelled. She rested her head on the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. Then, a black gas started emanating from her.

"What is that?" Natsu and Lucy yelled. Gray and Lyon just stared. "It's Nirvana's magic. It's leaving Sherry." Nyx said. She looked exhausted and a little beat up.

Nirvana's magic?

"Wait, Nirvana made her act all crazy? She nearly killed me!" Gray shouted. Natsu and Lyon looked just as confused.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we have a more urgent problem," Nyx stated. "Nirvana is seconds away from entering its final stage."

"What?!" everyone yelled.

The ground started to shake back and forth, like an earthquake.

"What is that?" Lucy asked in fear.

"It's Nirvana! It's entering its final stage! We're too late!" Nyx yelled.

The ground continued to shake. In the distance, the ground started to rise. Huge pillar- like objects broke through the ground. The tremors continued to shake the ground.

One of the pillars rose extremely close to where they were standing. It continued to grow until it was over 5 stories high. The shaking stopped, and before them was something that Gray had never expected.

A huge, spider- looking structure towered over them, but it didn't seem to be alive. Gray couldn't see what was on top of it.

"What is that thing?" Natsu asked.

Nyx looked terrified, and because of that, Gray was terrified. He didn't know whether or not it was because Nyx wasn't controlling her powers, or if Gray was truly terrified of this thing. It was probably both.

Lucy, Lyon, Happy, and Natsu were all gaping at this huge structure. Nyx was looking at the ground. "Nirvana has entered its final stage. With this, The Oracion Seis will be able to turn light into darkness."

"What!?" Gray, Lyon, Happy, and Natsu yelled at the same time.

"Oh, right. You guys weren't there when I explained. In a nutshell, whoever control's Nirvana has the power to turn the good guys into bad guys and vise versa."

Not good.

"Well," Lyon started, "that gives us one more reason to stop this thing. Let's go!"

"What about Sherry?" Lucy asked. The moment she said that, Sherry stood up.

"I'm fine now. Lyon and I will try to find the others while the rest of you get to the top of this thing.

Everyone nodded in silent agreement.

Gray, Nyx, Natsu, and Lucy ran towards the spider leg closest to them while Happy flew along side. It was _almost _too steep to climb, but they could do it. They started to run as fast as they could up the side of Nirvana. The leg felt like it was made of stone.

Nyx was having a difficult time climbing up the side.

"Need any help?" Happy asked her.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just pretty low on magic power. I've never drained myself that much before."

"I can carry you if you'd like," Happy insisted.

"No, I assure you. I'm fine. Please don't carry me."

Gray felt like there was something off about Nyx right now. Gray knew that, if he were that tired, he would probably accept Happy's help.

The leg started shaking back and forth, almost to where it knocked Nyx and Lucy off. At the last second, both of them caught their balance.

_Why is it shaking?_

To answer his question, Nirvana started to move. The leg that they were climbing slowly moved forward.

"Oh no." Natsu said. Gray looked back to see him about to throw up. "This thing's a vehicle."

Nyx chuckled. "It's not a vehicle, Natsu. It's Nirvana."

That didn't seem to help his condition much. Lucy, who was behind Natsu, didn't seem to notice that he'd stopped. As a result, she ran right into him, causing both of them to start tumbling down Nirvana's leg. To make matters worse, Nyx was right behind Lucy, so she would have been caught in the mess if Happy hadn't gone in to rescue her. Gray was now the only one who could still climb.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Quit fooling around and get up here! We need to stop this thing as fast as we can!"

The two of them stopped rolling about halfway back down the leg. It looked like Lucy was talking to Natsu, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Finally, Natsu started to slowly tank up the leg, only to stop again after twenty or so seconds.

_This guy is hopeless._

Gray decided to let them work it out, so he continued up the leg. He looked around for Happy and Nyx and saw them flying just a little bit ahead of him. Something was off, though. Nyx was covering her eyes and didn't seem to be saying much. Happy looked like he was talking to her, but she wasn't saying anything back. Gray was wondering why she would be acting so strangely. First, she was reluctant to go with Happy, and now that she was flying with Happy, she looked to be scared. She was never scared around Happy before.

That's when a thought occurred to him.

Could Nyx be scared of heights?

Gray saw Happy set Nyx down about fifteen yards ahead of Gray. She just sat there for a moment. Gray was quickly approaching her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, sympathy in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"

"You can tell?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out."

Nyx stood up and regained her composure. "I'm good now. Where's Natsu and Lucy?" Nyx asked.

"They slid down a ways. They shouldn't be too far back there. Happy, do you think you can get them?"

Happy put his hand to his brow in a salute. "Aye, Sir."

He flew down the leg to go pick up Natsu and Lucy. Gray and Nyx took off up the leg. They were nearly at the top when Gray heard a familiar voice come out of nowhere.

"I can hear you coming."

It was Cobra. That was the bastard that poisoned Erza.

Nyx and Gray made it to the top of the leg, and sure enough, cobra was there waiting for them. Gray felt anger welling up inside him. He wanted to beat the crab out of this jackass for hurting Erza.

"You want to beat me, huh? Well, I can tell you now, that's not going to happen.

_What? Can he hear my thoughts?"_

Cobra laughed. "I can hear everything. I can hear every muscle in your body move. I can hear every hair on your head as it moves. I can even hear our inner voice. Isn't that right, Cubellios." He started to scratch the giant snake that sat next to him under the chin.

_Damn it. How am I going to win here? It was bad enough that Nyx beat me._

Cobra's laughed and then turned to Nyx. She cringed.

"So, this little girl beat you in a fight? How pitiful.

Cobra's smile suddenly vanished as he looked behind Gray. Nyx seemed to sense something as well and turned around.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Natsu rushed in, carried by Happy. He went straight for Cobra's face, but he dodged it easily. Natsu just laughed.

"I got this Guy. Gray, Nyx, you go help the other's. I want to personally beat this guy to a pulp for what he did to Erza."

Gray smiled. Count on Natsu to come and steal the fight.

"Alright, but you better win." Gray said.

"I'm staying here with you, Natsu. I don't know if I can be much help to the others right now."

Natsu growled, but then gave in. "Ugh, fine. But be sure to be careful."

Nyx smiled mischievously, exactly like her brother. It was eerie how much those two looked alike.

Lucy was climbing over to the top of Nirvana. Gray rushed to help her up. He told her what they were going to do, and about Natsu and Nyx fighting Cobra.

"Okay. I got it." Lucy said.

The two of them took off to look for a way to stop Nirvana from destroying everything.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Sorry for the wait. Here's an extra long chapter for ya. Feedback is appreciated. I want to know if you guys like this stuff or not. :)**

**Chapter 26- Nyx's Perspective**

Cobra was not going to be an easy fight. He could hear her and Natsu's thoughts with his super hearing. Nyx wondered how they would beat him.

Cobra chuckled. "I can hear what you're thinking, brat," he said. "The moment you think about something, I'll be able to hear it." She didn't like it when he called her a brat, but she knew she had to control herself.

Nyx decided to try something. She asked Cobra, "So you can only hear what a person is thinking at that time? You can't hear thoughts that someone's already had or something?"

He laughed again. "Why would I need to hear thoughts you've already had? All I need to know is what you're thinking at the moment in order to beat you. You have no chance."

It was Nyx's turn to laugh. "I feel bad for you, then," she laughed. Cobra's grin disappeared. "You do, now?" he asked, anger creeping into his voice.

She had a plan. Natsu didn't even have to get involved for the first part to work. She would have to take his arrogance down a notch. Nyx decided it was time to mess with him. She projected her thoughts directly to his mind. _"You're not the only one here who can hear thoughts, bub."_

Cobra looked surprised. He didn't say anything, but she could still sense what he was thinking.

_This brat can hear thoughts, too? And why were those thoughts even louder than normal? _

Nyx smirked. She looked over at Natsu, who had a confused look on his face. Nyx decided it would be okay to tell him what was going on, but not right now. She sent her thoughts to Natsu. _"I'll tell you later."_

Natsu jerked his head in Nyx's direction and smiled. "Okay," he said aloud.

Cobra looked even more confused than Natsu did. Nyx listened in on his thoughts.

_Did that kid just talk to the pink-haired loser with her mind? No matter, I can still wipe the floor with them._

There it was again. He called her a kid. She was starting to get really pissed off, but she knew she couldn't show it.

Nyx needed to unsettle Cobra if they wanted a bigger chance of winning. That way, Cobra would be hesitant when attacking.

Cobra's wicked grin was back. "I know what you're thinking. Did you already forget that? I know that you're going to try to make me afraid and wary of you. Well, it's not going to work."

Nyx quickly came up with a retort. "That's what you think. Did you know that I not only can sense what you're thinking, but I also know every single detail about you, _Erik?_

She decided to say his real name. It would startle him into rethinking his strategy.

"But… how did you… I never thought…" Cobra stammered. Nyx sensed that his emotions turned from cocky to wary, just like she had intended them to do. This was going well.

"I know everything about you, Erik. I know that you were forced into slavery at the tower of heaven when you were only a child. I know that that snake, Cubellios, is your only true friend. I know that your prayer is to finally be able to hear the voice of Cubellios. I know that you're a Poison Dragon Slayer."

Cobra stared in disbelief. "How do you know all of this?" he asked. Nyx chuckled. She looked over at Natsu to see his surprised expression.

"This guy's a Dragon Slayer? Who was the dragon that taught you?"

Natsu had directed that last question at Cobra, but Nyx answered.

"He's never seen a dragon. Cobra is able to use Dragon Slayer magic because of a lacrima implanted in his body. He's not a real Dragon Slayer."

Cobra was fuming now. He wasn't happy that Nyx knew everything about him. Nyx just stood there and smiled. She got him.

"You can keep no secrets from me, Cobra." She decided to call him Cobra again. After all, Eric really didn't fit him.

Nyx sensed that he was having a hard time regaining his composure. She had hit him hard, even though there was no physical damage.

Finally, Cobra gathered his thoughts enough to speak. Nyx sensed that he was going to keep acting cocky, but really, he was much more wary of her now.

"You think that knowing about me automatically makes you the victor? Give me a break. This fight hasn't even started yet."

Nyx stood firm. "You're right, I haven't won yet. But, there is one small thing you're forgetting."

"And what might that be?"

Nyx smirked. She didn't even have to say her response out loud. All she had to do was think.

_I know exactly how to beat you. You forget, I can hear thoughts to. All of the tactic you use in battle, I can use them as well. I'll be able to sense every move you make before you make them. The one difference in our power is that you listen with your ears, but I listen with my mind. That alone makes me superior._

This enraged Cobra even more. "Why you little… AACK!"

Cobra was listening so intently to what Nyx was thinking that he neglected the fact that Natsu was flying with Happy, itching to fight. Nyx had hoped that Natsu would catch on to her plan, and he did. Everyone may have thought he was as dense as a brick, but in reality, he was pretty smart when it came down to business. He had come from behind, and with Cobra distracted, was able to land a hard hit on 'em.

"Nice one, Natsu." Nyx said.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long, now. How come you took so long in getting him distracted?"

"Because he would have noticed you if you came in any sooner."

"Fair enough."

Cobra was standing back up again. "You punks surprised me. Not may people have ever landed a hit on me before. I will congratulate you on that. But, now you have successfully made me _very _angry."

Nyx decided that it was no longer time for fun and games. She had to figure out a way for her to think without Cobra hearing her.

Cobra spoke. "Haven't you learned, kid? I know you're trying to find a way to get around me hearing your thoughts, but that's impossible. I hear _everything."_

She almost snapped. Her biggest pet peeve was when someone called her a kid. Cobra had done it three times now, but Nyx new better than to go off.

Cobra's words gave Nyx an idea. She decided to test it out. "Cobra, think something."

Cobra looked confused. So did Natsu. They were thinking that she'd gone insane.

"What?" Cobra asked.

"You heard me, think something."

Nyx started to listen in on his thoughts.

_"She wants me to think something? She's crazy. What kind of person asks an enemy to think in the middle of a fight?"_

She heard his thoughts loud and clear, as if she heard them with her ears. Now, because Cobra could hear her thoughts, would he be able to hear his own thoughts in her head? If he could, then he wouldn't be able to hear her thoughts. He would only be able to hear his own (if that made any sense).

Her theory was plausible, so she decided to try it out.

"Keep thinking, Cobra."

_"Okay, now this brat's really lost it."_

It took all of her self-control not to explode when he called her a brat again.

She took Cobra's thoughts and made sure they were clear as day. For a second, Cobra looked confused. It was working.

_"Did I just hear my thoughts coming from this kid?"_

She almost blew it. She was seconds away from completely blowing everything she had worked to do. Nyx didn't think she could take it if he called her "kid" again.

Nyx plastered on a smile as Cobra became even more confused. He continued to think, and Nyx continued to listen. At the same time, she was thinking thoughts to herself. Cobra didn't seem to notice any of them. It had worked.

"I did it!" Nyx yelled aloud. Natsu and Cobra both looked at her like she was crazy.

"Um, Nyx, I hate to break it to ya, but we haven't won yet." Natsu said.

Nyx chuckled. "I know that, stupid. I mean that I found a way around Cobra's super hearing."

Cobra looked shocked for a second. His mind started going all over the place, and Nyx heard it all. Nyx could sense that he could hear every thought that he had coming from Nyx. Confusing? Yes. Necessary? Yes. Funny? Extremely.

In the meantime, Nyx started thinking of how Natsu could beat him. Nyx knew she had no chance if they were to fight physically. She was afraid of heights. That snake that he had could grow wings and fly, according to Cobra. She would be useless if it was an air battle.

Natsu, on the other hand, would get motion sick if it took place on Nirvana. Nyx had thought her motion sickness was bad, but it was nothing compared to Natsu's.

Additionally, all of this thinking and sensing and stuff were taking a toll on her already depleting magic power. She had never fully recovered from the fight with Angel. They were going to have to win quickly.

"Natsu!" Nyx yelled. "Are you ready? You're going to have to win this one. I don't know if I can do much against him."

Natsu snickered. "I've been waitin' for you to say that."

Cobra began to seem more alert and wary of his situation. He was no longer smiling or acting cocky in any way.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu bellowed. A whirlwind of fire blasted in Cobra's direction. At that same moment, Cobra's arms transformed into arms like a lizards. They were red and scaly, with claws so sharp they could run you clean through.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra hollered.

The two attacks met in mid-air, Natsu's coming from the sky as he was flying on Happy. Natsu's attack overpowered Cobra's and hit him in the face. Natsu laughed.

"You're a sad excuse for a Dragon Slayer," Natsu said, obviously trying to make Cobra even angrier.

The dust cleared from Natsu's attack. Cobra was still standing, giving Natsu a condescending smirk.

"I am of the new generation of Dragon Slayers. The old generation will fall, just like the dragons." Cobra hissed. Nyx watched in horror as Cobra's snake sprouted wings and took off into the sky, Cobra riding on its back.

"With a single touch, my poison will start to erode your body. Watch out. Heheheh."

_It's time for me to start helping._

Cobra could hear every move Natsu was going to make, but Nyx could do the same. Nyx began to relay messages to Natsu, telling him Cobra's every move. Nyx considered the high possibility that Cobra could hear the messaged entering Natsu's head. She searched Cobra's mind to see if he was paying any attention to her. Nyx found out that all of his efforts were directed towards his fight. He had no idea that Nyx was contributing.

Natsu was responding to Nyx's transmissions by dodging Cobra's attacks the moment Nyx relayed the information. On the other hand, Cobra was dodging all of Natsu's attacks as well. For a good three minutes, Natsu and Cobra were locked in a fruitless battle where no one could get the upper hand.

Unfortunately, Natsu was about to make the stupidest decision of his life.

Nyx heard Natsu's thoughts directed towards her.

_"Thanks for you're help, Nyx. With you secretly helping from the sidelines, there's no way he can land a hit on me."_

Nyx almost killed Natsu right there. Maybe he was a complete idiot after all.

_ARE YOU THAT STUPID!" _she yelled at Natsu telepathically. _"HE PROBABLY HEARD YOU SAY THAT! Now he knows I'm helping!_

_"Oops."_

Cobra caught on really quickly. "So, the little brat here is the reason why I can't hit you? I guess ill have to take care of that."

Cobra immediately flew towards Nyx. Nyx drew her bow in hopes that she could land a direct hit with him flying around like that. She drew back the arrow and took a quick aim. She loosed her arrow and it went flying straight at Cobra's face. Cubellios dived down, so the Arrow brushed passed his hair.

"It's gonna take a lot more than an arrow to get me, kid."

That was it. She was trying to hold back her anger at him calling her a kid a few times. Now, that they were really fighting, what little self-control she had snapped. She couldn't hold back any more.

"DON'T CALL ME KID!"

Just as cobra was about to snatch her up in his poisonous grip, she let out an insane amount of magic energy. All strategy and planning went out the window. She let out an ear-piercing scream. Her magic energy surrounded her, engulfing her in a dangerous white aura. She let go of all control she had over her powers. A wave of emotions rolled off of her. Anger. Hate. Impatience. Loathing. Fear.

She didn't feel any fear, though. She just let it off. She took all of her remaining power and focused it on that emotion. She directed all of that fear right at Cobra, and a little at his snake. Cubellios froze in it's tracks, obviously too afraid to go any farther. Fear radiated off of Nyx in waves. The expression on Cobra's face was one of pure terror. His limbs were stiff and unmoving. He probably couldn't move them no matter how hard he tried. Nyx made Cobra feel a fear unlike anything anyone has ever experienced. She relished in it.

Nyx had never used her powers like this before. She had never made people feel emotions at this magnitude. She had no idea what would happen to Cobra now that he was feeling such large amounts of pure white fear.

Cubellios's wings retracted so that the snake was no longer flying. They were already on the ground, though, so Cobra was still standing. He stared at Nyx with his terrified expression, unable to look away. Her eyes were fixed directly into his, boring into the very depths of his being.

For a second, she broke eye contact with him to see where Natsu was. In that second, she saw her brother and Happy on the ground, shuttering. With her enhanced sight, she saw that Natsu was looking down, but not enough that she couldn't see his face. His expression was one that matched Cobra. He had gone very pale and stiff. Nyx sensed that he, too, was feeling almost as much fear as Cobra. Nyx realized that she wasn't controlling her ability. In her burst of anger, she had lost most of the control she had, resulting in the fear affecting Natsu and Happy as well.

Her bout of anger started to diminish. What was left of her magic energy from her fight with Angel was completely gone now. The fear that she was making Cobra, Natsu, and Happy feel quickly vanished. However, Nyx sensed that Cobra afraid, but it was his own emotions instead of emotions that Nyx had forced on him. Cobra was truly afraid of Nyx. She pulled out her bow and knocked an arrow. She aimed it right a Cobra's throat.

"I don't want to kill you if I don't have to. However, if you even think about moving or speaking, this arrow will be in your windpipe faster than you could open your mouth. Believe me, I'll know when you think about moving. Also, don't try to hear my thoughts. I'll know when you do that, too."

Cobra did as she asked. He didn't move or speak. She was bluffing about being able to sense his thoughts, though. She was completely out of magic power. Nyx was trying not to show it, but she was putting all of her effort into standing up. She was running on empty. She did her best to make it look like she had energy left, but she wasn't sure if she was doing a good job.

Nyx saw Natsu stand up, still a little shaky. He started to cautiously walk over to Nyx. Happy followed close behind. The closer Natsu walked, the more relaxed he became as he realized that it was over.

He approached Nyx, still seeming a little wary. "That w…was some p…power you got there, Nyx," he stuttered. Nyx was a little surprised. It didn't take magic energy to sense what people were feeling. All of the fear she had made him feel had worn off, but she still sensed that he was afraid. He was afraid of her. Very afraid of her. So afraid that he had completely forgotten about his motion sickness.

He shouldn't have been afraid of her.

Why was he afraid?

He should be happy and excited, not afraid.

Why is he acting so strange?

Did she do something she was not aware of?

_It stinks not being able to sense what people are thinking! I know that I just made him feel fear like he's never felt before, and he knows that I was mad at Cobra! He knows that I didn't mean to do that to him! He knows this, right?! So why the hell his he afraid of me?_

She was distracted when she shouldn't have been distracted. Cobra ripped the arrow from the bow so that Nyx had nothing to threaten him with.

He was still afraid, but he was fast. Neither Natsu nor Nyx could react fast enough to what was happening.

Cobra yanked the bow from Nyx's grasp and grabbed her by the shoulders. The poison in Cobra's hands leaked onto Nyx's skin. A howl of pain escaped from Nyx's mouth. There was so much pain. It stung worse than anything. Nyx could feel the poison seep into her skin and into her bloodstream. In seconds, her entire body was screaming with pain. Nyx didn't know if she was yelling or not. All she knew was that her body was becoming numb and limp as the poison made its way through her body.

Cobra threw her on the ground. Nyx was losing consciousness for the third time that day. This time, it was different. Her vision was spotty. Her mind went fuzzy. Everything became like a dream. She watched as Natsu tried to run to her side, but cobra kicked him out of the way. Nyx was no longer sure what she was seeing was real. Everything was fuzzy and distant. She forgot where she was and what she was doing. Her body was so numb that she couldn't move anything, but still hurt. The only thing that occupied her mind was the pain.

The poison was getting to her. Her eyesight dimmed. Her breathing became raspy. She couldn't hear anything.

Nyx's eyes closed, oblivious to the dragon scales that were appearing on Natsu's face and arms.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27- Natsu's Perspective**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Happy were boarding the wagon that would take them to the rendezvous point of the allied forces. Natsu was hoping that Nyx was already on the wagon. She had come up with a simple plan that would allow her to tag along on this journey without being spotted; sneak on before everyone got on and hide under the seat/storage unit until they arrived._

_Natsu was all fired up to get to the destination, but the journey there would be hell. Nyx had said she was going to bring her new bow with her, too. Natsu really wanted to see her shoot it. That made him wonder about the magic on the bow. He decided to ask Erza about it._

_"Hey, Erza. Do you know what kind of enchantments are on Nyx's bow and arrow?"_

_"Why do you want to know?"_

_"Cause I was just wondering. It looked pretty cool."_

_"Fine. The maker of that bow told me that it is enchanted with small amounts of ethernano so that it would never break. It is also enchanted with a summoning spell so that it will appear back in her quiver. I don't know how they clean themselves, though. He neglected to tell me that."_

_Ethernano, huh?_

_"Thanks, Erza."_

_"No problem. Did you want to shoot it? Is that why you're asking me about it?"_

_"Maybe…"_

**_Back to the Present_**

"NYX!" Natsu hollered. He ran over to Nyx. She was convulsing and barely conscious. Before he could reach her, Cobra, who was now standing, kicked him back. Natsu landed on the ground with a thud.

Happy ran up to try to help Nyx as well, but Cubellios knocked him back with its tail. Happy went flying and landed with a thud. He didn't get up, but Natsu could see him breathing. At least he was okay.

"The poison if coursing through her body. In no more than six minutes, she'll be dead." Cobra laughed.

"How DARE you do that to my sister!" He snarled furiously. Natsu stood up, angrier than ever before. He spotted the arrow that Cobra had yanked from Nyx's bow. It was right next to his feet. Just then, he remembered something.

_" 'The maker of that bow told me that it is enchanted with small amounts of ethernano so that it would never break…' "_

Natsu got an idea.

He picked up the Arrow and started gnawing on it. Cobra looked at him like he was insane. Natsu couldn't seem to get his teeth into the shaft. It had to be vulnerable somewhere!

Cobra's expression went from confused to serious. He was catching on to his plan by hearing his thoughts. Man, that was annoying.

Natsu found himself trying to bite at the feather of the arrow. It came off. Excitedly, Natsu ripped off all three feathers from the arrow and stuffed them in his mouth. He swallowed.

For some reason, Cobra wasn't coming after him. Maybe he wanted to see what would happen next.

The feeling was almost instant. It was the same feeling that Natsu got when he ate the ethernano at the Tower of Heaven. His magic power skyrocketed. Scaled began materializing on his arms. His muscles bulged and his breathing rate increased. He was entering dragonforce.

As soon as the transformation was done, Natsu knew exactly what to do. He called out, "WENDY!" as loud as he could, which was pretty loud. He had no idea where she was, but he knew that she heard him. Wendy was the only hope he had of getting Nyx back to good health.

Cobra was now angry. He had the look of a crazed madman in his eye.

"You think that you can beat me still? Pathetic. Now that you don't have your little sister, what are you going to do? She's just a kid, anyways."

Fury roared through Natsu's veins. He gave no reply to Cobra's words. He was no longer consciously thinking. He was going to act of pure instinct alone.

Natsu rushed at Cobra with speeds he would never be normally capable of. He saw Cobra's moment of confusion as he landed a hit square on his jaw. As Cobra was flying backwards, Natsu rushed to the other side of him and kneed him in the back, which sent him flying. Cobra turned around in midair to face Natsu.

"Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" Cobra hollered. A huge wave of poison was sent towards Natsu, who just stood still. The poison hit him at full force.

The cloud of poison cleared the air, revealing Natsu, not even scratched by the attack.

"Wh… what?!" Cobra stuttered as he fell to the ground. Natsu just stared at him without saying a word.

Natsu lit his hands on fire, preparing to go all out in this one hit.

"Fire Dragon's Secret Art! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

Wave after Wave of fire was sent spiraling at Cobra. He made a move to escape the flames, but it was futile. The flames hit Cobra at full force, instantly sending him flying. He landed hard onto the ground. Cobra made no move to get up. Natsu slowly walked over to him, and when he got there, he saw that Cobra was unconscious.

"Nyx is_ not_ a kid." He said finally. His anger gone and the power from the ethernano fading, Natsu returned to normal. His mind instantly went to the condition Nyx was in. He ran over to her.

Nyx was barely breathing. The breaths that she did take were shallow and strained. Her body had an unhealthy purple tint to it. She looked like she was in pain. The poison had almost taken its toll.

"NYX! Oh no. Um, WENDY!" Natsu yelled. He didn't know what to do.

Not too far away, Natsu heard a little girl's voice. "I'm coming!"

Natsu looked up in the direction of the voice. About 100 meters away, Carla was flying Wendy to where Natsu and Nyx were. Carla looked extremely tired.

"Wendy! Come here! Nyx is dying!" Natsu yelled, his voice cracking.

Natsu looked back at his sister. She had stopped breathing. He felt for a pulse, but couldn't find one.

"HURRY!" Natsu yelled, tears coming to his eyes.

Carla dropped Wendy off right next to Nyx. She began using her sky magic to expunge the poison. A glowing green light was emanating off of Wendy's hands as she worked.

_This better work_

The light from Wendy's hands died down. The purple tint to Nyx's skin was gone. The poison was gone, but she still wasn't breathing.

"No… no no no no no no. NO! Nyx, you have to stay with us!" Natsu sobbed. Tears were flowing from his eyes now. There had to be a way to save her.

Wendy seemed to know exactly what to do, though. She put one hand on top of the other and placed it on Nyx's chest. She started pumping her hands up and down in a rhythmic fashion. It looked like she was trying to get Nyx's heart beating again.

After about 30 pumps, She tilted Nyx's head back and, using her sky magic, forced wind to go into her lungs. After that, she started pumping again.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, still crying.

"CPR. My friends at the Cait Shelter taught this to me. I never thought I would need it, until now," she replied quickly.

After another 30 pumps, again Wendy tilted Nyx's head back and forced wind into Nyx's lungs and pulled it back out.

Nyx's eyes shot open as she took a big breath in. Wendy had saved her life.

"Nyx… you're okay!" Natsu said with pure joy.

Nyx sat up slowly, holding her hands up to her head. "What happened? I don't remember anything after Cobra grabbed me."

"You, well, you kinda just died." Natsu stated.

"What?"

"You weren't breathing and your heart wasn't breathing. Wendy here came just in time, though. She got the poison out of you and performed RPC."

"It's CPR," Wendy corrected. "Oh, right." Natsu said. He was overjoyed that his sister was okay.

"So, I was dead, but then Wendy saved me?"

"That about sums it up." Natsu said with a smile on his face.

Nyx and Wendy both stood up. Then, Nyx went and gave Wendy a big hug. "Thank you, Wendy," she said. Wendy returned the hug. "It was nothing, really, buy you're welcome."

They stood there, embracing each other. Natsu stood up and hugged them both. "Group hug!" he yelled. Nyx and Wendy both laughed. Carla even joined in the hug.

They stood there for who knows how long. They were pulled back to reality when Nirvana took a huge step forward. Natsu instantly fell to the ground, his motion sickness getting the better of him. In addition, his body was exhausted from ingesting the ethernano and entering dragonforce.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Wendy asked, concern in her voice.

"No…" Natsu said, ready to throw up.

"He has horrible motion sickness." Nyx said simply.

"I can fix that. I know a spell that can get rid if motion sickness. It's only temporary, though." Wendy said to Natsu. Natsu looked up at the girl. "Rea…lly?" Natsu struggled to get out. He would be so happy if he were able to sit on a moving vehicle without having to puke.

"Yes. Here." Wendy bent down and put her hands on either side of Natsu's head.

"This will restore your balance. Troia!"

Wendy's hands glowed blue for a second, and then the light faded. Natsu no longer felt like he had to puke. It was a miracle!

Natsu jumped into the air, completely refreshed and renewed. He was still tired, but was rejuvenated by the idea that he no longer had his motion sickness. Well, he didn't have it now, anyways.

"Thank you so much, Wendy! You've really done a lot of help lately."

"You're welcome." Wendy said faintly. She looked fatigued.

Carla crossed her arms. "Don't make her use her Sky Magic again. She's completely exhausted! Hmph."

"I'm fine, Carla, really." Wendy replied.

In the distance, Natsu saw Happy stand up. The little blue cat walked over to the group. He looked fine other than a few cuts and bruises.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so happy?" he asked.

"I'll tell ya later." Natsu said.

"Aye, sir."

Nyx suddenly froze. Her eyes were wide. Natsu wondered what had spooked her.

"What's wrong, Nyx?" Natsu asked.

"I sense someone behind us…" Nyx said quietly.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28- Lucy's Perspective**

They had seen the one called Brain. They decided to follow him without being noticed.

Lucy and Gray had been looking for any sort of clue on how to stop this thing. Unfortunately, they had come across Brain in the process. Brain was walking down from the very top of Nirvana. Gray was about to turn the other way to avoid being spotted. Lucy had other ideas.

"Hey. We should follow him to see if he gives away any hints on how to stop Nirvana," Lucy suggested.

"Oh, hey. Good idea." Gray said.

They began following Brain at a safe distance. A couple times, they had nearly lost him in the old city. They always managed to track him down though.

Suddenly, Lucy heard a voice calling out.

"WENDY!" she heard. It was Natsu. Gray seemed to hear it too, because he asked, "Was that Natsu? Why is he calling for Wendy?"

"Yes, that was Natsu. I don't know why, though. The only reason why he would call for Wendy was if someone needed healed. The only other person with him is Nyx, oh, and Happy too. They were all fighting that guy, Cobra."

"So, one of them is hurt?"

"Maybe."

They turned their attention back on Brain, who had started walking in the direction of Natsu's voice. Lucy and Gray headed after him.

They heard a huge crash, and a minute after, they heard Natsu's voice again. "WENDY!" His voice sounded a million times more urgent than the last.

They were getting closer to Natsu. Lucy decided that Brain was going after Natsu to make sure that he didn't stop his plans.

"HURRY!" Natsu's voice rang. He sounded extremely distressed. Lucy hopped everyone was all right. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him… or anyone else for that matter.

Brain began walking faster. Lucy and Gray had to jog to keep up with him. A few minutes had passed, and Lucy and Gray had finally made it to the small clearing where Natsu and Cobra were supposed to be battling. Brain, who had arrived about a minute before them, was walking slowly towards three people (plus two cats).

Natsu, Nyx, Wendy, Happy, and Carla were all laughing victoriously. They were too far away for Lucy to see any distinct facial expressions, but she could tell that they were celebrating.

_Thank Mavis that everyone's okay._

Brain stopped walking, still quite a ways away from the group. Lucy was about to call out to Natsu and the other to look out, but Gray put a hand over her mouth to stop her.

"Nyx knows he's there. Look," he said to her quietly. He was right. Nyx's body was stiff, her head turned to one side. The other's quickly stopped celebrating. They turned to see Brain, once again, advancing towards them.

"What should we do?" Lucy asked Gray. Usually, she had a plan, but she had never been in a situation like this before.

The ice mage shrugged. "There's not really anything we can do sitting on the sidelines like this. I say we go and help."

Lucy nodded in agreement. In unison, Gray and Lucy stood up and began to run towards the inevitable battle. Brain had already made it to the group.

"HEY!" Lucy yelled. "You guys need any help?!"

Brain whirled around, seemingly surprised. He looked annoyed as well, as if Lucy had just interrupted something. As Lucy and Gray made their way to the group as well, a sense of unease washed over Lucy. She looked over at Gray, and saw that he looked uneasy as well.

"You? Where did you pesky brats come from?" Brain asked furiously. He raised his staff and pointed it directly at Lucy. Before he could do anything, though, Natsu kicked brain in the back of the head. Brain staggered forward.

"Don't you dare touch Lucy," Natsu growled. Brain just laughed.

"You don't have the strength to fight me, boy," Brain snarled. He was right- Lucy didn't notice it at first, but Natsu's entire body was shaky with exhaustion. His eyes, usually filled with life, looked tired and worn out.

Lucy looked over at Nyx, who hadn't said a word. She, too, looked fatigued, though not as much as Natsu.

_Must have been some battle._

Wendy looked like she was about to cry. She was probably scared out of her mind.

Lucy had barely recovered any of the magic she had lost in the fight with Angel. Lucy remembered that Gray had lost most of his magic power fighting Racer and then dealing with Sherry right after. None of them stood a chance against Brain.

Nyx seemed to realize this as well. As she looked back at Nyx, Lucy could practically see Nyx's mind going a mile a minute, trying to find a solution to their problem.

Brain continued talking. "Nirvana has been revived. Now, I can use its magic however I please. Though, I seem to be short a few _friends_, and I need to find replacements." He said the word "friends" as someone would usually say "toys" or "puppets."

Gray scoffed at Brain's statement. "What do you mean, replace your friends?"

"Yeah, they can't be replaced!" Natsu added. "Besides, how would you replace them? No one else here would help you."

Brain smirked. Lucy began feeling scared. She was scared before, but now, she was starting to feel really afraid. No sane person would talk about replacing comrades to easily. Then again, they weren't really talking to a sane person, were they?

"As I said before, I can use Nirvana's magic to do whatever I please. I shouldn't be wasting my time with you."

Lucy was horrified. What could he possibly do with Nirvana's magic?

For some reason, Lucy began feeling angry. She looked at Natsu and Gray and saw that they were angry, too. Wendy was still on the ground, scared out of her wits. Finally, she took a glance at Nyx/ Her eyes shown with hatred and anger. Nyx's arms tightened, like she was about to hit someone.

_She's making everyone else feel her anger. Does she want us to fight Brain? She knows that it's impossible, right?_

Nyx looked at Lucy, the look of anger still shining in her eyes.

_"This guy is evil. Do you even realize what he's implying?"_ she heard Nyx ask in her mind.

_Not really._

_"You know what, never mind."_

Apparently, Lucy was missing something.

A second later, Nyx had her bow out and had an arrow pointed at Brain's head. Brain didn't seem phased by this in the slightest. In fact, he seemed pleased.

"This one's feisty. I think she will make a great friend," he said aloud.

Lucy was confused. Nyx still looked furious, but also, slightly worried. Lucy remembered that Nyx knew everything that Brain was thinking. She must know his plan then, right?

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy stood there silently while Nyx was a blink away from letting go of the arrow. Brain still didn't seem worried.

"Kid, you really think that an arrow will be able to stop me?" Brain mused. Nyx's eyes became even fiercer with anger. She looked like she wanted to rip this guy's heart out.

Nyx let the arrow go.

Time seemed to move in slow motion. The arrow flew directly at Brain, but in that moment, Brain raised his staff to block his face. The arrow embedded itself in the skull that rested on top of the staff. Brain didn't have a scratch on him.

Brain didn't give anyone time to react after that. In a split second, he grabbed Nyx by the arms, turned her around, and held his staff up to her neck. The staff glowed green and red. Natsu and Gray both started to use their magic, but they stopped. They didn't want Brain to hurt Nyx.

"Now, then," Brain said sadistically. "I have some important business to take care of. I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to take this little runt with me."

Nyx didn't struggle. Lucy wondered if Nyx was afraid or not. Lucy sure as hell would have been.

Natsu charged forward. Any look of exhaustion that he had earlier was now gone. Gray, too, began to run towards Brain and Nyx, ready to unleash his ice magic. Lucy didn't know if she should help; she didn't know if she could help without enough power to summon a spirit.

"You fools!" Brain hollered. He lifted the staff closer to Nyx's neck, threatening to blast her into oblivion. This caused Natsu and Gray to hesitate. Lucy knew that they were both dense, but they weren't stupid enough to endanger a comrade.

Wendy, for some reason, seemed oblivious to the situation at hand. Lucy remembered how she had told her that Brain made her revive Jellal. She came to the conclusion that Wendy was still down about that.

Looking back over at Brain, Natsu, and Gray, Lucy saw Gray and Natsu both on the ground, struggling to get up.

_How did I miss them getting hit? I barely looked away for a second!_

"You are beginning to annoy me," Brain spat. "I don't have time for this. I have more important matters to attend to. I guess I'll just have to leave this battle up to your _friend_ here. However, she won't be your friend for long."

Brain had stopped dragging Nyx away. Instead, he had her leaned up against an ancient building, his staff beginning to glow a dark color.

Finally, Lucy felt all of the pieces click into place.

Brain had Nirvana's magic under his control.

Nirvana could turn light into darkness, and good guys into bad guys.

Brain said he wanted to replace his "friends."

Leaving the battle up to Nyx.

Lucy paled. If her theory were true, they would be in huge trouble in a matter of seconds. She started sprinting in Brain and Nyx's direction. Natsu and Gray were still trying to stand up. Lucy ran as fast as her legs could carry her. However, she stopped as soon as she approached Brain. Lucy hoped she wasn't too late.

Brain's staff was glowing the same black light as the pillar of light when Nirvana was on its first stage. The staff was directly over Nyx's heart. Nyx looked to be struggling to get free of Brain's grip, but she wasn't making any call for help. The dark light from the staff seemed to leak onto Nyx, absorbing into her. Nyx started to cry out. It wasn't a high-pitched scream, but rather a blood-curdling wail, that chilled Lucy to the bone. Her eyes, which were wide with pain, began to glow the same color as the black light. Nyx writhed and squirmed, trying futilely to stop the light from flowing into her.

Lucy wanted to move. She wanted to go and rescue Nyx and stop this horrible thing from happening, but for some reason, she couldn't. Lucy was frozen in place by the shock of what was happening. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get he legs to move any farther.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw Natsu finally manage to stand up. Natsu began running toward Brain, ready to bash in his skull.

He was too late.

The light from the staff had dimmed. Nyx no longer cried out. Instead, her eyes were closed. Brain let go of Nyx, causing her to fall to the ground. He was smiling an evil, wicked smile. Natsu stopped dead in his tracks, staring at his younger sister. He seemed to be frozen in place, similar to Lucy.

"I think I'll take my leave now. I have something I need to do." Brain said. Lucy had a bazillion questions, but didn't know what to think. Was Nyx okay? What exactly just happened? Was her theory correct? What did Brain have to take care of? Why didn't she try to summon a spirit to help? How was Natsu going to react to all of this? Why could she still not move?

Brain started walking away, but then, he stopped. "Oh, before I go…" He strode over the Nyx's limp body. He placed a hand on her stomach. Brain's hand glowed with a yellow light. Lucy sensed that that light was magic energy. Brain was giving Nyx magic energy. What?

The light surrounding Brain's hand dimmed. Nyx started to stir. Then, her eyes opened.

Natsu unfroze. He didn't rush to beat up Brain, which is what Lucy would have expected him to do. No, he ran to Nyx's side and helped her up. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Natsu yelled. Nyx didn't say a word. Brain casually strode away. After Natsu helped Nyx up, Natsu started to run after Brain, but Nyx stopped him by holding her arm over his chest.

Wordlessly, Nyx grabbed her bow, knocked an arrow, took aim, and fired at Brain. It hit squarely in the back of Brain's neck. Brain crumpled to the ground, dead.

Lucy felt relief wash over her. Nyx was still on their side! She was worried that Brain might have used Nirvana's magic to darken Nyx's heart. But, did she really have to kill him? It seemed kind of harsh.

_If Brain wasn't trying to make Nyx turn to the darkness, then what was with that weird black light? Maybe he did something wrong? Am I just overanalyzing? _

Questions continued to pop into Lucy's mind. Nyx still hadn't said anything. She was still staring at the lifeless body of Brain that lay just 10 meters away. Lucy felt like something wasn't right, still. Natsu seemed to notice something was off as well, because he asked Nyx, "Hey, is something wrong? You seem down."

Lucy, finally unfrozen, walked to the siblings. Nyx, still without speaking, turned to look at her. Lucy tensed.

Nyx's eyes, usually so full of happiness and life, were now full of malice and hatred. There was no kindness in them. Natsu, who was still waiting for an answer, eyed Nyx. He, too, seemed to notice the change in Nyx's expression.

Finally, Nyx opened her mouth to speak.

"He thought I was weak. He didn't deserve to live."

The words left her mouth full of hatred. Lucy wanted to cover her ears. The Nyx she knew wouldn't say anything like that.

"Nyx?" Natsu asked, his voice full of concern.

"Do you think I'm weak?" Nyx asked Natsu, the hatred not leaving her voice.

"What? No, I don't think you're weak. Why would you even ask something like that?"

"Lucy, do you think I'm weak?"

Her questions caught Lucy slightly off guard, but she didn't hesitate in answering. "No, of coarse not."

Nyx looked like she was about to say something else, but loud footsteps interrupted her. Everyone looked in the direction the footsteps were coming from. From behind a building, Jura had appeared in front of them, and behind Jura was…

"Hoteye?" Natsu and Lucy said in unison. This made her blush, although she wasn't sure why.

"Hello, everybody. I started to come here the moment I heard Natsu yell Wendy's name. Is everyone alright?"

Lucy was glad to see that Jura was okay, but why was Hoteye with him. He was part of the Oracion Seis, right?"

"What's the enemy doing with you?" Natsu asked.

"Hoteye, or as he wishes to be called, Richard, is no longer our enemy. Nirvana's magic has changed his heart. He is on our side now."

Richard waved his hand up in the air. "It's so nice to be on better terms with you kids! The power of love will bring us together!"

Lucy was happy that they had one less enemy, but she was kind of creeped out by this guy.

"Well then, welcome aboard!" Natsu said with a cheesy grin.

_Leave it to Natsu to give anyone a second chance._

Also, Lucy notice that Richard called them "kids." Lucy expected Nyx to go all crazy, but when Lucy turned around to check on her, she was just staring at Jura. There was defiantly something wrong.


	29. Chapter 29

**I apologies for the lack of recent uploads lately. I've been kinda busy with school and have had really bad writers block on some parts. So, here's a really long chapter for ya guys! DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fairy Tail (wish I did but I don't). Reviews appreciated. **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 29- Gray's Perspective<span>**

Gray kept trying to get up, but he was in too much pain.

Brain had hit him and Natsu with that weird, green and red light from his staff. Somehow, Natsu had gotten up from beside him to go help Nyx. Gray didn't know how, though, because his whole body was numb with pain.

He had heard Nyx's wails a few minutes ago. He had heard Jura and Hoteye start talking, so they must have come. But Gray still couldn't get up for the life of him.

From behind, Gray heard footsteps coming towards him. With what little strength he had, he turned to see who it was. Wendy was walking up to him, probably with the intent to heal him.

"Gray, I can heal you."

Gray could tell the girl was already running out of magic energy. "No, don't. You look exhausted. You need to save your strength."

Wendy ignored his protests and began to heal him. Blue light flowed from he hands. Instantly, Gray felt better. He felt his strength returning to him. His body wasn't numb anymore. He could move without it hurting too much.

"Thank you, Wendy," he said.

"Your… your welcome."

Her voice was barely audible. Her eyes were unfocused and she looked to be struggling to stand. Her legs buckled, and Gray caught the girl before she could fall over.

_She pushed herself too hard. She's completely out of magic energy now._

Wendy was still conscious, but barely. Gray decided it would be safest if she didn't fight anymore. He carried her bridal style over to where the others were talking. Gray couldn't help but notice that Brain, who was lying about 15 meters away from him, wasn't moving.

Gray had approached his friends. When they saw Wendy, they all got concerned, even Hoteye. However, Nyx didn't seem to take any interest in the now sleeping Bluenette.

"Is she okay?" Jura asked.

"Yeah, she's fine, but she exhausted herself when she healed me just now." Gray responded.

"That's good."

"Hey, popsicle face, how come you didn't get up to help Nyx when she was yelling?"

Gray looked over at Natsu, furious at him for suggesting that he wouldn't help a friend. "I couldn't, flame brain. I couldn't move! It's not like I deliberately didn't get up and help her."

And with that, they started arguing and calling each other names. Gray had given Wendy to Jura, who was glad to hold her while Gray was fighting. They spat insults at each other for a minute before they were stopped.

"ENOUGH!" Nyx yelled, her voice filled with annoyance. There was an odd edge to her voice as well. Gray and Natsu both went silent. They both turned to look at Nyx.

Nyx looked like she was about to rip their heads off. Her eyes were full of malice. Her fists were clenched, like she was going to punch someone's lights out. But, worst of all, she was staring right at Gray.

Gray was paralyzed under her intense stare. Her eyes were locked onto his, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away.

"Nyx, what are you doing?" Natsu asked, caution in his voice.

Nyx didn't answer. She just kept staring at Gray. Gray tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move. It was as if Nyx had frozen his body with nothing but her stare.

"Nyx! Answer me!" Natsu yelled.

Nyx broke eye contact with Gray, but he still couldn't move. Nyx looked Natsu in the eye, and from what Gray could tell, he froze up as well. Nyx didn't seem to be doing anything but looking at Natsu, yet, it felt like she was using magic.

When Nyx had eye contact with Gray, Gray didn't feel any fear. He didn't feel like Nyx was using her magic to mess with his emotions.

So how did she make it so he couldn't he move?

And why the hell was Nyx acting so strangely?

Gray got his answer, but he didn't like it.

"Well then," Nyx started, "time to test something out."

Nyx began walking up to Natsu, and Gray could sense bad intentions. Lucy seemed to sense it as well, because she jumped in front of Nyx.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked, her tone almost as scary as Erza's when she was mad.

"Testing something," Nyx replied vaguely.

"What do you mean? Nyx, you're acting strangely. Spill."

Nyx huffed in exasperation. Her reply was full of annoyance. "Brain wanted to turn me to his side. He wanted me to be his little underling." Nyx paused.

"Continue," Lucy said.

"Nirvana's magic did its work brilliantly, but not the way Brain wanted it to."

_What does that mean? Did Brain use Nirvana's magic on Nyx?_

Lucy's face went from angry to shocked, but then back to angry. "What do you mean, 'not the way Brain wanted it to.'"

Nyx sighed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Man, you're stupid if you haven't figured it out by now."

Gray was getting angry with Nyx. He would have done something if he could move, but Lucy kept her cool. "Well, I haven't. So would you mind telling me?" she asked, her voice dangerously sweet.

"Well, Lucy, I'm sure you realized that Brain was trying to turn me to his side so that I would fight for him. He darkened my heart in order to do that. However, I don't take orders from anyone, so I killed him. Besides, he thought I was weak."

_Not good._

Lucy no longer looked angry. She looked worried. Gray moved his eyes to look behind Lucy Natsu to see how he was taking all of this.

He was crying.

Gray never thought he would see the day that Natsu would tear up in front of anyone. Natsu had always been strong. He was hard to break.

But now he was crying.

Gray knew that, if Natsu could move or speak right now, he would be trying to get through to Nyx. He would be trying to talk some sense into her. Gray would have been doing that as well, although he wouldn't have been trying as hard as Natsu.

Lucy was starting to tear up as well. Her eyes were glassy and wet looking. Her lip quivered as she tried to hold back a sob.

Gray didn't know what to think. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. How do you react to a friend turning to the dark side?

"Anyway," said Nyx, "my morals have been changed."

"And you're okay with this?" Lucy demanded.

Nyx turned her attention to Hoteye. "Hoteye, were you upset when your heart was lightened by Nirvana?"

Hoteye smiled a creepy smile. "Of coarse not! I just LOVE being good!"

_Well he's in a pretty good mood considering what's going on._

Nyx finished explaining. "So, like Hoteye didn't mind going to the light side, I don't mind going to the dark. Think of all the possibilities for my magic. Before, I was too nice to try new stuff out. But now, I don't give a damn. Ima try to expand the abilities of my magic. Now would be a great time to start."

Gray wasn't eager to find out what that meant.

Jura, still carrying Wendy, finally spoke up after being silent this whole time. "Even though you were an ally, if you continue to talk like this and go through with your actions, I will have no choice but to subdue you."

Nyx laughed like Jura had told the funniest joke in the world. Gray cringed, well, he would have if he could move. Her laugh was wrong. There was no happiness in her laugh. There was only evil.

Suddenly, Gray could move. He must have been released from whatever magic had been holding him still. He immediately shouted at Nyx. "What the hell did you do to me?!"

From the looks of it, Natsu was released as well. He looked defeated. Gray had never seen Natsu look defeated, even when he was defeated.

Gray heard Natsu utter words almost too soft to hear, but Gray could have sworn he said, "Nyx, come back, please."

Nyx cracked her knuckles. She was preparing to fight. Gray didn't know how they would beat her- she seemed to have all of her magic energy back. They were all almost out of magic power, except for Jura and Hoteye. Gray didn't really want to put much of his trust into Hoteye, even though Jura said he was cool.

"Oh, I better tell you something," Nyx stated.

"What is it?" Gray and Lucy said in unison. They were all getting ready to fight.

"Don't be expecting to see any of the techniques I've used in the past. I'm going to use this battle to try some new stuff out."

_Hopefully, none of it works._

Nyx jerked her head towards Gray. "What was that, Fullbuster?"

_She just called me Fullbuster!_

"Watch it," she spat.

Gray couldn't help but notice that Natsu didn't get ready to fight. Gray wondered how he would even be able to fight his own sister like this.

To Gray's surprise, Natsu wiped his face with his scarf, got into a fighting stance, and said, "Nyx, even though you're my sister, I can't have anyone hurting my friends."

Gray noticed how Natsu's voice cracked when he said that.

Nyx looked pumped. "Now I'm fired up."

Natsu winced. That was his line, after all.

Gray, Lucy, Natsu, Jura, and Hoteye all circled around Nyx. Jura had set Wendy down well out of the way so she would have less of a chance of getting hit by anything. Nyx seemed confident that she would win.

"One," Nyx said. She stood with her back toward Gray.

"Two." She was facing her brother, who avoided eye contact with her.

"Three."

Everything happened so fast. All five of them bombarded Nyx with attacks at one time. Gray had used his Ice Make Lance, Lucy was using her whip, Natsu used his Fire Dragon's Roar, Jura had sent a rock hurtling in her direction, and Hoteye was slinging large bits of softened earth at her.

To their disappointment, Nyx had dodged them all. She quickly sidestepped Natsu's fire attack while simultaneously catching Lucy's whip in her hand before it could crack. She ducked under Jura's rock, and it almost hit Lucy. She jumped over Gray's ice attack while Hoteye's attack sailed underneath her as well.

_Well this is just fantastic._

Gray didn't know what to expect Nyx to do. Nyx landed on the ground, the end of Lucy's whip still in her hand. She smirked.

"Now, time to put some of my ideas to the test."

Nyx looked directly at Gray. "You look tired, Gray."

_Why is she pointing this out?_

"Maybe you should take a break."

_Is she trying to make me stop fighting? She really is crazy if she thinks she can talk me out of it._

"Think about it. A nap would be nice right now."

Gray noticed how the tone in her voice had changed. Instead of sounding overconfident like she was a minute ago, her voice was now soft and sweet. It sounded like she cared for his wellbeing.

"Maybe you should just go to sleep."

The word sleep hit Gray like a pile of rocks. Gray's eyelids started to feel heavy. He started to blink.

"That's right, Gray, just sleep_._"

_What? But… how?_

"Don't resist, Gray. You can feel sleep coming to you."

Gray's legs almost buckled. He fought to keep his eyes open. Was she making him feel sleepy? Why did her voice seem so soothing all of a sudden?

Gray also noticed how no one made a move to help. Nyx wasn't attacking, so there was nothing they could really do.

"Fight it, Gray!" he heard Lucy yell.

"Don't listen to them, Gray. Just lie down and take a little nap. You know how much you want to." Nyx said smoothly.

Nyx was right. Ever since the fight with Racer, Gray had been really tired. Now, it was twenty times worse.

"Don't give in. She is trying to eliminate you from this battle!" he heard Jura yell. For some reason, his voice seemed farther away than it should have been.

"Stop it!" Gray yelled at Nyx. He hated this.

"Come on, Gray," Nyx cooed. "You know you just want to rest. Relax. Just _sleep._"

Her voice was clear as day. She had put more emphasis on it than she had before. Gray had fallen to his hands and knees. He was trying with all of his willpower to stay awake. He was trying to shake himself out of the groggy state that Nyx put him in. Gray didn't know how much longer he would be able to hold out. He was barely aware of all of his friends yelling at him to get up.

"Just give in Gray. Just _sleep._"

Gray almost couldn't take it. He was blinking rapidly with his eyes half closed. He could feel the strength drain out of his limbs as his body begged him to just give in to Nyx's hypnotic voice. He knew that he had to stay awake. "No…" he croaked.

But how bad would sleep really be?

How terrible would it be if he just gave in?

Gray was couldn't concentrate on anything other than her words. In the back of his mind, Gray was wondering how Nyx was even doing this. Nyx could control emotions, but sleep wasn't an emotion. Was this the one of the new abilities that she wanted to try out?

It didn't matter at the moment, though. Gray was a bit too tired to think right then.

Understatement of the century.

Just when Gray thought Nyx would finish it, she said, "Alright, Gray. Get up."

Gray instantly felt rejuvenated. He could focus and think again.

Instantly, Gray was angry, but also, confused. "How did you do that?" he asked bitterly.

"Easy." Nyx responded. "I targeted your subconscious mind instead of your emotions. It was quite simple, actually. It's amazing what you're body will do without your own consent. I barely even used any magic energy."

Gray looked around at all of his friends. They looked terrified. Even Natsu.

Gray felt terrified. Nyx had just about put him to sleep just by _talking_ to him. Plus, he had thought that Nyx was trying to incapacitate him so he couldn't fight. If that were true, then why did she snap him out of it?

Nyx chuckled. "To answer your question, Gray, I have no intention of kicking you out of the fight. No, this fight's just getting started."

_Dammit. This won't be easy._

"I don't understand, Nyx." Natsu said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Hmm. There's not really any reason. I just wanna try out some new techniques that I thought were too extreme to try before."

Gray happened to notice that Nyx still had the end of Lucy's whip in her hand. Lucy was trying furiously to rip it out of her hands, but to no avail.

"And now for my next trick," Nyx proclaimed, "I shall need a volunteer."

"You're crazy if you think any one of us is going to volunteer to be the guinea pig in one of you're 'tricks!'" Lucy hollered.

"Oh, but one of you will," Nyx said sadistically.

_This is so wrong. We don't have time for this. We need to get back to stopping Nirvana. Midnight is still out their somewhere. The rest of the allied forces are out there as well. We need to find them._

"Who will be the lucky person to star in my next experiment?" Nyx inquired.

"That is enough!" Jura bellowed. In seconds, four huge pillars of earth erupted from the ground. Jura lifted them from the ground and motioned for everyone to stand back. Everyone complied. No one wanted to get caught in the middle of Jura's attack.

Jura threw his hands forward, and the earth pillars sailed in Nyx's direction. They moved so fast, Gray didn't know how Nyx could possibly dodge them.

Just as the pillars were about hit, Nyx jumped out of the way, ripping the whip out of Lucy's hands. The rock pillars crashed onto the ground, just where Nyx had been standing a second ago. She landed on top of them with cat-like grace. "Jura! I see you volunteered!" Nyx yelled happily.

"I have volunteered for nothing!" Jura retorted. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"Oh, but I think you have." Nyx said slyly. "Remember?"

"No, I don't recall that I did."

"But I swear it! When I asked for a volunteer, you said you would volunteer."

_Jura never said anything like that. What is Nyx doing?_

Jura looked confused for a second, like he was trying to remember something that just wouldn't come to him. "I did?" he asked.

"You did, don't you remember?" Nyx had a mischievous look on her face. Gray wondered if she was using magic. It was hard to tell; Nyx's magic wasn't visible like most magic was.

"Your memory is failing you, Jura." Nyx said. She held her hand up high above her head. A magic circle appeared above it. For the first time, Gray could actually see what her magic looked like.

It was mesmerizing.

The magic circle was unlike anything Gray had ever seen. It was pure white, but at the same time, held every color in the visible spectrum. It was like looking at sunlight reflected off glass, only a thousand times more intense. However, it wasn't bright or hard to look at. It was actually hard to look away.

The same magic circle appeared over Jura's head. He got a strange look on his face for a split second before it went back to normal. The magic circles disappeared.

"Do you remember now?" Nyx inquired.

"Yes I… I think I do remember now. I don't why I would have said something like that," Jura said.

_What just happened?_

"What did you do?!" Lucy demanded. Nyx looked over to her and grinned smugly. "I just changed his memories."

_This is all kinds of messed up. What kind of magic can change a person's memories? She couldn't have just figured it out on the spot, right? That's way too advanced._

"That's two successful experiments in a row. I still have one to test." Nyx said with satisfaction. "Who should I try my final experiment on?"

"You're not going to get to try anything, Nyx!" Gray hollered.

"He is correct. We will not allow you to toy with us any longer!" Jura agreed.

"We're going to find a way to change you back!" Lucy decided.

Nyx laughed. "The only way you could change me back is by destroying Nirvana, and I'm not going to tell you how to do it."

_This isn't good. How are we going to win this thing? What's stopping Nyx from trying to put us to sleep if we attack? How are we supposed to get a hit in?_

Nyx held Lucy's whip to the sky with one hand. To Gray's surprise, Nyx tossed the whip back at Lucy. "You're gonna need it to fight, blondie."

Lucy caught the whip and got in a fighting stance. Nyx seemed to be looking back and forth between her and Natsu who, uncharacteristically, hadn't said anything during the entire fight.

"Who should I choose to be the subject in my next experiment?" Nyx thought out loud.

Finally, she turned towards the person she chose.

"How about my dear older brother?"


End file.
